title: Cyclooxygenase-2 in the pathogenesis of murine cerebral malaria.
abstract: Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe complication of malaria, in which cytokine production can produce immunopathological consequences. Cytokines can up-regulate prostaglandin synthesis via an increase in cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme activity. We investigated the expression of COX enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2, in the brain by use of murine models of CM and of malaria without cerebral involvement. Although COX-1 mRNA was induced in the brain in both models of malaria, COX-2 mRNA was induced specifically in CM. Inhibition of COX-2 with celecoxib resulted in an earlier onset of CM. Treatment with celecoxib did not alter the outcome of malaria infection without cerebral involvement. These data suggest that induction of COX-2 expression and prostaglandin synthesis may have a protective effect in CM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology D06, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia. helenb@med.usyd.edu.au
authors.forename: Helen J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: Hamish G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: MacDougall
authors.forename: Iain S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: McGregor
authors.forename: Nicholas H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Hunt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D017931:DNA Primers; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016779:Malaria, Cerebral / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D007527:Isoenzymes; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D015232:Dinoprostone