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Protein / target

Polyunsaturated fatty acid 5-lipoxygenase

Encoded byALOX5P09917Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
9
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Arachidonate 12(S)-lipoxygenase

Strongest disease association

Colitis, Ulcerative

Via encoding gene ALOX5 · Clinical evidence · score 0.61

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Small molecules

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Catalyzes the oxygenation of arachidonate ((5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-eicosatetraenoate) to 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoate (5-HPETE) followed by the dehydration to 5,6- epoxyeicosatetraenoate (Leukotriene A4/LTA4), the first two steps in the biosynthesis of leukotrienes, which are potent mediators of inflammat…

View complete UniProt function annotation

Catalyzes the oxygenation of arachidonate ((5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-eicosatetraenoate) to 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoate (5-HPETE) followed by the dehydration to 5,6- epoxyeicosatetraenoate (Leukotriene A4/LTA4), the first two steps in the biosynthesis of leukotrienes, which are potent mediators of inflammation (PubMed:19022417, PubMed:21233389, PubMed:22516296, PubMed:23246375, PubMed:24282679, PubMed:24893149, PubMed:31664810, PubMed:8615788, PubMed:8631361). Also catalyzes the oxygenation of arachidonate into 8-hydroperoxyicosatetraenoate (8-HPETE) and 12-hydroperoxyicosatetraenoate (12-HPETE) (PubMed:23246375). Displays lipoxin synthase activity being able to convert (15S)-HETE into a conjugate tetraene (PubMed:31664810). Although arachidonate is the preferred substrate, this enzyme can also metabolize oxidized fatty acids derived from arachidonate such as (15S)-HETE, eicosapentaenoate (EPA) such as (18R)- and (18S)-HEPE or docosahexaenoate (DHA) which lead to the formation of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM) lipoxin and resolvins E and D respectively, therefore it participates in anti-inflammatory responses (PubMed:17114001, PubMed:21206090, PubMed:31664810, PubMed:32404334, PubMed:32841762, PubMed:8615788). Oxidation of DHA directly inhibits endothelial cell proliferation and sprouting angiogenesis via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) (By similarity). It does not catalyze the oxygenation of linoleic acid and does not convert (5S)-HETE to lipoxin isomers (PubMed:31664810). In addition to inflammatory processes, it participates in dendritic cell migration, wound healing through an antioxidant mechanism based on heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) regulation expression, monocyte adhesion to the endothelium via ITGAM expression on monocytes (By similarity). Moreover, it helps establish an adaptive humoral immunity by regulating primary resting B cells and follicular helper T cells and participates in the CD40-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after CD40 ligation in B cells through interaction with PIK3R1 that bridges ALOX5 with CD40 (PubMed:21200133). May also play a role in glucose homeostasis, regulation of insulin secretion and palmitic acid-induced insulin resistance via AMPK (By similarity). Can regulate bone mineralization and fat cell differentiation increases in induced pluripotent stem cells (By similarity)

Subcellular location

CytoplasmNucleus matrixNucleus membraneCytoplasm, perinuclear regionCytoplasm, cytosolNucleus envelopeNucleus intermembrane space
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (49)

Domains & features

PLATLipoxygenase

Gene Ontology

  • Ccytosol
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Cficolin-1-rich granule lumen
  • Cnuclear envelope
  • Cnuclear envelope lumen
  • Cnuclear matrix
  • Cnuclear membrane
  • Cnucleoplasm
  • Cperinuclear region of cytoplasm
  • Csecretory granule lumen
  • Farachidonate 12(S)-lipoxygenase activity

674 aa · 78 kDa · 5 isoforms

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Cell migrationUniProt · GOLipid & lipoprotein metabolismUniProt · GOImmune signallingUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Cell migration

  • ·Catalyzes the oxygenation of arachidonate ((5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-eicosatetraenoate) to 5-hydro…
  • ·dendritic cell migration
  • ·leukocyte chemotaxis involved in inflammatory response

Lipid & lipoprotein metabolism

  • ·Catalyzes the oxygenation of arachidonate ((5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-eicosatetraenoate) to 5-hydro…
  • ·long-chain fatty acid biosynthetic process

Immune signalling

  • ·Catalyzes the oxygenation of arachidonate ((5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-eicosatetraenoate) to 5-hydro…
  • ·humoral immune response
  • ·leukocyte chemotaxis involved in inflammatory response
  • ·leukocyte migration involved in inflammatory response

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Approved medicines with mapped indications

2 medicines · 4 areas

Approved therapies targeting this protein, grouped by what they are approved to treat — the disease-first view of the medicines below. Relationships come from the canonical approved-indication graph (ChEMBL phase-4), the same source as the drug cards.

Colitis, Ulcerative2 medicines
Arthritis, Juvenile1 medicine
Arthritis, Rheumatoid1 medicine
Proctitis1 medicine

9 medicines meet Open Targets' target-level approved-medicine definition; the 2 shown here are those on this page with a canonical approved disease indication in the graph. Approved indications from ChEMBL (phase-4), via the canonical drug→disease graph.

Drugs targeting this protein

2

How approved and investigational drugs engage this protein — mechanism and action type, direct vs complex targeting, and how broadly each acts across other targets. A drug-first view (the section above groups the approved ones disease-first); direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

sulfasalazine
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor

Indicated for Arthritis, Juvenile, Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Colitis, Ulcerative

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 3 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

mesalamine
ApprovedInhibitor

Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor

Indicated for Colitis, Ulcerative, Proctitis

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 4 recorded protein targets

ChEMBL mechanism, action type, target identity and approved indications. Open Targets clinical status.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene ALOX5

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene ALOX5 that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Colitis, Ulcerative
0.75Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.61

Arthritis, Rheumatoid
0.74Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.60

Asthma
0.71Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.58

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
0.60Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.49

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
0.47Limited support

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.38

View evidence synthesis (5)
Colitis, UlcerativeWell supported
0.75
agreement 0.620.89
Clinical97%RNA expression2%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.61 · 3 independent evidence families

Arthritis, RheumatoidModerately supported
0.74
agreement 0.600.88
Clinical89%Literature9%RNA expression2%

Open Targets aggregate 0.60 · 3 independent evidence families

AsthmaModerately supported
0.71
agreement 0.560.87
Clinical94%Literature7%

Open Targets aggregate 0.58 · 2 independent evidence families

Irritable Bowel SyndromeModerately supported
0.60
agreement 0.450.76
Clinical99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.49 · 2 independent evidence families

Inflammatory Bowel DiseasesLimited support
0.47
agreement 0.320.63
Clinical94%Literature7%

Open Targets aggregate 0.38 · 2 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Colitis, Ulcerative0.61
Arthritis, Rheumatoid0.60
Asthma0.58
Irritable Bowel Syndrome0.49
Crohn's Disease0.38
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases0.38

Drug development

11 compounds recorded · 9 approved · 2 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 2 drugs that target this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (2 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (10)
MECLOFENAMIC ACIDApproval
ZILEUTONApproval
SULFASALAZINEApproval
MECLOFENAMATE SODIUMApproval
BALSALAZIDEApproval
OLSALAZINEApproval
MESALAMINEApproval
ATRELEUTONPhase 3
BALSALAZIDE DISODIUMApproval
OLSALAZINE SODIUMApproval

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesStrong

Approved Drug and Structure with Ligand support this modality.

AntibodiesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot loc high conf and go cc high conf) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (half-life data and small molecule binder) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (8)
SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Druggable FamilyAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein. Ranked by active status, then clinical phase and recency, and spread across the targeting drugs.

View all trials (26)

RECRUITING · via mesalamine · NCT04920149

COMPLETED · via sulfasalazine · NCT03254589

COMPLETED · via sulfasalazine · NCT02374021

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

2

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for a drug that targets this protein, plus publications where such a drug is a genuine subject. Every item is reached indirectly through the drug, not the protein itself; incidental mentions (a paper that merely measures a drug) and press items are excluded.

  1. Regulatory approval2025-04-14

    Approval: MESALAMINE (ANDA219028)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via mesalamine

  2. New publication2014-04-30
    Mesalamine dose escalation reduces fecal calprotectin in patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis.

    Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association · 2014 · 68 citations · Europe PMC · via mesalamine

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.