Effect of parecoxib on focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effect of parecoxib on focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion （I/R）injury in rats. Methods Fifty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups （ n = 18 each）： sham operatin group （group S）, group I/R and parecoxib group （group P）. The left middle cerebral artery was permanently occluded by bipolar electrical coagulation and both commom carotid arteries were occluded with miniature clips for 60 min followed by reperfusion. Group P received parecoxib 4 mg/kg intravenously 15 min before ischemia and again at 11 h during reperfusion, while group S and I/R received the equal volume of normal saline instead. The neurologic scores were evaluated at 72 h of reperfusion and then the rats were decapitated. Brains were rapidly removed for determination of the infarct volume and expression of TNF-α and brain-derived neurotrophic factor （ BD-NF） .Results The neurologic scores were significantly lower, and the infarct volume was significantly larger, and the expression of TNF-α and BDNF was significantly higher in group I/R than in group S （P 〈 0.05）. The neurologic scores and BDNF expression were significantly higher, the infarct volume was significantly smaller, and TNF-α expression was significantly lower in group P than in group I/R （ P 〈 0.05 ）. Conclusion Parecoxib can reduce focal cerebral I/R injury in rats, and the mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of inflammatory reaction and up-regulation of BDNF expression. Key words: Cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors; Reperfusion injury; Brain