title: A therapeutic role for cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in a transgenic mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: Recent studies indicate that the proinflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, an enzyme involved in inflammatory cascades but also normal neuronal activities, is elevated in the brain and spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and ALS mouse model systems. On the basis of this evidence, we explored the impact of COX-2 inhibition on the onset and progression of ALS-like disease in the G93A human superoxide dismutase (SOD)1 mouse model of ALS. We found that prophylactic administration of nimesulide, a preferential COX-2 inhibitor, in the feed resulted in a significant delay in the onset of ALS type motor impairment. This delay of ALS symptomatology temporally overlapped with the inhibition of prostaglandin E2 elevation in the spinal cord of SOD1-G93A transgenic mice relative to untreated SOD1-G93A controls. This study strongly supports a role for COX-2 in the pathophysiology of ALS and provides the first experimental evidence that prophylactic treatment with COX-2 inhibitors can significantly delay the onset of motor dysfunction in the SOD1-G93A transgenic mouse model of ALS.
authors.affiliation: Neuroinflammation Research Laboratories, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Pompl
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McManus
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Pasinetti
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009154:Mutation; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D007527:Isoenzymes; D013449:Sulfonamides; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D015232:Dinoprostone; C012655:nimesulide