Metabolic pathways of eicosanoids-derivatives of arachidonic acid and their significance in skin

The skin is a barrier that protects the human body against environmental factors (physical, including solar radiation, chemicals, and pathogens). The integrity and, consequently, the effective metabolic activity of skin cells is ensured by the cell membrane, the important structural and metabolic elements of which are phospholipids. Phospholipids are subject to continuous transformation, including enzymatic hydrolysis (with the participation of phospholipases A, C, and D) to free polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which under the influence of cyclooxygenases (COX1/2), lipoxygenases (LOXs), and cytochrome P450 (CYPs P450) are metabolized to various classes of oxylipins, depending on the type of PUFA being metabolized and the enzyme acting. The most frequently analyzed oxylipins, especially in skin cells, are eicosanoids, which are derivatives of arachidonic acid (AA). Their level depends on both environmental factors and endogenous metabolic disorders. However, they play an important role in homeostasis mechanisms related to the structural and functional integrity of the skin, including maintaining redox balance, as well as regulating inflammatory processes arising in response to endogenous and exogenous factors reaching skin cells. Therefore, it is believed that dysregulation of eicosanoid levels may contribute to the development of skin diseases, such as psoriasis or atopic dermatitis, which in turn suggests that targeted control of the generation of specific eicosanoids may have diagnostic significance and beneficial therapeutic effects. This review is the first systemic and very detailed approach presenting both the causes and consequences of changes in phospholipid metabolism leading to the generation of eicosanoids, changes in the level of which result in specific metabolic disorders in skin cells leading to the development of various diseases. At the same time, existing literature data indicate that further detailed research is necessary to understand a clear relationship between changes in the level of specific eicosanoids and the pathomechanisms of specific skin diseases, as well as to develop an effective diagnostic and therapeutic approach.