What is "resolvin"

n. (context biochemistry English) Any of various compounds that are made by the human body from the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, believed to reduce cellular inflammation.

Resolvins are autacoids of a specific lipid structure: dihydroxy or trihydroxy metabolites of omega-3 fatty acids, primarily eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) but also the docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), clupanodonic acid. They are members of an expanding class of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolites termed specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs). Other SPMs include the lipoxins, protectin D1 and its related products, and the maresins. SPMs are locally formed and locally acting cell signaling autocoids: they are made by cells and act upon their parent or nearby cells to coordinate functional responses. SPMs possess potent anti- inflammation, tissue protection, and tissue healing activities in diverse animal models and accordingly are proposed to be involved in resolving physiological inflammatory responses. Their failure to form in adequate amounts is also proposed to underlie a broad range of human diseases involving pathological inflammation. Metabolically stable analogs of the SPMs, including the resolvins, are in development and being tested in volunteers with chronic inflammation-related diseases.