Mechanisms of lipid mediator release in airway epithelial cells

Epithelial cells are incriminated as active participants in the airway inflammatory response, and epithelial oxygenation pathways are ideal candidates to act as a source of mediators for modulating inflammation. Recent discoveries include the facts that airway epithelial cells contain abundant stores of fatty acid substrates for oxygenation; the cells have the capacity to release these substrates through the action of specific phospholipases; they express enzymatic activity for cyclooxygenation and lipoxygenation at a high level relative to other cell types; and some of the oxygenation products have potent functional effects in the airway. The accessibility of the surface epithelial cells to inhaled inflammatory stimuli will also enable anti-inflammatory drugs to reach them, and much of this therapeutic potential is still unexplored.