Inhibitory effects of maesanin and analogs on arachidonic acid metabolizing enzymes

The substituted 1,4-benzoquinone, maesanin (1), is a potent 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) inhibitor present in the fruit of Maesa lanceolata Forssk. Thirteen natural, synthetic, semisynthetic, and microbially transformed analogs of 1 were tested for their in vitro inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) and cyc looxy-genase-1 (COX-1) Maesanin was the most active 5-LO inhibitor. All oth er analogs were inactive or less active than the natural products as 5-LO i nhibitors. None of the tested compounds was strongly active in the COX-1 in hibition assay.