Lipids produced by the aspirin target COX-2 have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as presented in a study published online this week in Nature Chemical Biology (doi: 10.1038/nchembio.367).

Omega-3 fatty acids are known to have various health benefits including being anti-inflammatory, and playing an important role in brain and retinal development. By using mass spectrometry, Bruce Freeman and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA, identified four new lipids that are derived from COX-2 acting on two types of omega-3 fatty acids in the immune system cells called macrophages. The new signalling lipids, termed EFOXs have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects which can be enhanced by aspirin, through the activation of COX-2.

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