Anti-inflammatory effects of the 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO) derivatives lipoxin A(4) (LXA(4)) and 15-S-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-S-HETE) have been documented in many experimental models of acute inflammation. However, the expression levels of 15-LO and its products in human renal diseases remain unknown. This study investigated the expression levels of LXA(4), leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)), and 15-LO in leukocytes and glomeruli obtained from 22 children with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN), and determined the modulatory effects of both 15-S-HETE and LXA(4) on LTB(4) synthesis in leukocytes and LTB(4)-evoked chemotaxis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) obtained from children during the first 3 days after onset of APSGN. Expression levels of both LXA(4) and 15-LO in leukocytes and glomeruli were up-regulated during the acute phase of disease, further peaking between days 10 and 14, and remained increased after 6 to 8 weeks of APSGN onset. In contrast, blood and urinary levels of LTB(4) as well as the number of glomerular PMNs peaked during the acute phase of disease and then decreased during the resolution phase. Administration of both 15-S-HETE and LXA(4) in vitro inhibited LTB(4)-induced chemotaxis of PMNs and production of LTB(4) from leukocytes obtained from patients with APSGN. The current study provides further support for an anti-inflammatory role for 15-LO products in human nephritis through both antagonism and inhibition of leukotriene synthesis and its biological activity.