ABSTRACT
Recent years have witnessed a strong linkage between cancer and inflammation. The utilization of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been traced to exert a shielding effect against several tumor types. To a considerable extent, this finding mirrored inflammation as a liability for various cancers and is now deliberated to be a major earlier event in tumor progression and metastasis. Studies also depicted that inflammatory mediators are present in the tumor microenvironment, not epidemiologically related to inflammation. In this context, lipoxins (LXs), naturally occurring anti-inflammatory molecules, have emerged as key players in resolving cancer-related inflammation. The present chapter portrays an overview of the current understanding of LXs, including their biosynthesis, metabolism, and their mode of action in the resolution of inflammation. It also sheds light on the diverse cellular and molecular alleyways (viz. signal transduction pathways) linking cancer disease with inflammation. Further, various mechanisms of repression of the signaling pathways triggered by the LXs and their analogs and their involvement in the control of proinflammatory mediators concerned with tumorigenesis and cancer have also been discussed. In addition, various anticancer actions of LXs have also been reviewed. The encyclopedic info and discussions manifested herein will optimistically 34expedite the researchers to design novel synthetic LXs with improved efficacy and selectivity for the intervention of cancer-related inflammation.
