IN a subset of patients with asthma, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that inhibit both cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) can precipitate dangerous asthmatic attacks. It has been proposed that in these patients, the attacks are triggered by inhibition of COX-1 and not COX-2, and that the use of highly selective COX-2 inhibitors may be safe in asthmatic patients, ...

BACKGROUND Cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitors have been developed to alleviate pain and inflammation; however, the use of a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor is associated with mild edema, hypertension, and cardiovascular risk. AIM To evaluate, in an experimental model in normotensive rats, the effect of treatment with parecoxib in comparison with diclofenac and aspirin and L-NAME, a no...

Detrusor smooth muscle exhibits myogenic contraction in response to a quick stretch (QS) as well as spontaneous rhythmic contraction (SRC); however, whether the same population of actomyosin crossbridges with a common regulatory mechanism is responsible for these two types of contraction has not been determined. Detrusor strips from New Zealand white rabbit bladders were allowed to develop SRC ...

PURPOSE Following the recent discovery of an abnormal expression of the p53 gene in the epithelium in pterygium, some researchers felt that pterygium is a tumor rather than a degenerative disease. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been reported to be associated with pterygium formation, however the mechanism whereby UV induces uncontrolled proliferation in pterygial cells is unclear. Because cyclo...

For about two years, selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 have been hailed as powerful additions to the armamentarium of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Predicted by financial analysts to become among the pharmaceutical industry's greatest-ever blockbusters, two so-called coxibs are now widely utilized clinically: rofecoxib (Vioxx, Merck) and celecoxib (Celebrex, Monsanto). T...

BACKGROUND Drugs that inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) while sparing cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) represent a new attractive therapeutic development and offer new perspective for further use of COX-2 inhibitors. Intention of this work is to develop safer, selective COX-2 inhibitors that do not produce harmful effects. RESULTS A series of 55 tyrosine derivatives were designed for evaluation as sel...

In this study, PC12 Adh cells and Neuro-2a cells were treated with Rho-associated kinase inhibitors (Y27632 and Fasudil), a cyclooxygenase-1 selective inhibitor (SC560), and a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor (NS398). We found that these cells became tolerant to Rho-associated kinase inhibitors, as neurite outgrowth induced by these inhibitors diminished following more than 3 days of exposure in eith...

Cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2) has been implicated an essential role during bone repair, but the mechanisms remain elusive. Bone repair healing is known to include processes similar to endochondral ossification. In this study, we investigated the in vitro effect of Cox-2 on Col10a1 expression and chondrocyte hypertrophy, two critical components of endochondral ossification. Using quantitative RT-PCR,...

Transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder is the second most common genitourinary malignancy in people in the United States. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in bladder cancer. COX-2 inhibitors have had antitumor activity against bladder cancer, but the mechanisms of action are unclear. Clinically relevant concentrations of COX-2 inhibitors fail to inhibit proliferation in sta...