title: Involvement of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) in intrinsic tone of isolated guinea pig trachea.
abstract: Indomethacin and related nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs relax prostanoid-dependent intrinsic tone of isolated guinea pig trachea by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX). Recently, a second isoform of COX (COX-2) was discovered, which differed from COX-1 with respect to protein structure, transcriptional regulation, and susceptibility to inhibition by pharmacological agents. It is now known that indomethacin nonselectively inhibits COX-1 and COX-2, whereas NS-398 is a selective inhibitor of COX-2. In the present study we compared the activity of a selective (NS-398) and nonselective (indomethacin) COX-2 inhibitor on intrinsic tone of isolated guinea pig trachea. NS-398 > or = indomethacin produced a reversal of intrinsic tone with a similar concentration-dependent (10 nM to 1 microM) time course (Tmax approximately 20-45 min), potency (EC50 1.7 and 5.6 nM, respectively), and maximal response. Contractions to cholinergic nerve stimulation (45 V, 0.5 ms, 0.1-32 Hz) and histamine were similarly modulated in tissues relaxed with the selective or nonselective COX-2 inhibitors. Immunoblot analyses showed that COX-2 protein synthesis was induced in both the cartilage and smooth muscle portions of the trachea during changes in intrinsic tone. These findings are consistent with pharmacological results and provide the first demonstration that prostanoid tone in isolated guinea pig trachea is dependent on COX-2 activity. The results also suggest that the activity of indomethacin in this preparation is likely related to COX-2 inhibition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research, Pointe Claire-Dorval, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Charette
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Misquitta
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guay
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reindeau
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000187:drug effects; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006632:Histamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015151:Immunoblotting; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009129:Muscle Tonus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009578:Nitrobenzenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D014132:Trachea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D007527:Isoenzymes; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; D009578:Nitrobenzenes; D013449:Sulfonamides; C080955:N-(2-cyclohexyloxy-4-nitrophenyl)methanesulfonamide; D006632:Histamine; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D007213:Indomethacin