[Protective effect of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor on alcohol-induced liver injury in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor on alcohol-induced liver injury in rats.


METHODS
58 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group treated with dextrose and corn oil, model group with ethanol and corn oil, treatment group with corn oil and ethanol plus a selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib. All treatments were injected into stomach through intragastric tubes. Liver samples were analyzed for histopathology with light microscope (LM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and the expression of COX-2 with western blotting. Levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in serum, levels of 6-Keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-k-PGF1a) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) in liver, and activity of glutathione s-transferase (GST) both in liver tissue and in plasma were measured.


RESULTS
LM and TEM indicated hepatocytes were injured obviously in the model group and slightly in the treatment group. The levels of AST and ALT in serum, TXB2 in liver and the activity of GST in plasma increased significantly in the model group (t> or =2.294, P<0.05), but the activity of GST in liver decreased significantly (t=8.856, P<0.01) compared with those in the control group. To compare with the model group, the levels of AST and TXB2 decreased significantly (t=4.305, P<0.01; t=2.799, P<0.01), meanwhile the activity of GST increased significantly (t=10.134, P<0.01) in the treatment group. COX-2 expression in liver by western blotting increased significantly in the model group, compared with the control group (t=4.067, P<0.01) and the treatment group (t=2.251, P<0.05). Exceptionally, the level of 6-k-PGF1a decreased significantly (t=2.284, P<0.05) in the model group.


CONCLUSIONS
COX-2 has involved in the alcohol-induced liver injury, and its inhibitor can diminish alcohol-induced liver injury in rats through decreasing TXB2 level
Yi
Hui
H
Institute of Digestive diseases, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Wang
Xin
X
Miao
Ji-yan
JY
Du
Jing-ping
JP
Pan
Yang-lin
YL
Liu
Na
N
Zhang
Xu-mei
XM
Fan
Dai-ming
DM
D000818:Animals; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000378:metabolism
D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D007527:Isoenzymes; D020011:Protective Agents; D000431:Ethanol; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases