title: Anti-inflammatory effects of chronic aspirin on brain arachidonic acid metabolites.
abstract: Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators derived from arachidonic acid (AA) modulate peripheral inflammation and its resolution. Aspirin (ASA) is a unique non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which switches AA metabolism from prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and thromboxane B₂ (TXB₂) to lipoxin A₄ (LXA₄) and 15-epi-LXA₄. However, it is unknown whether chronic therapeutic doses of ASA are anti-inflammatory in the brain. We hypothesized that ASA would dampen increases in brain concentrations of AA metabolites in a rat model of neuroinflammation, produced by a 6-day intracerebroventricular infusion of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In rats infused with LPS (0.5 ng/h) and given ASA-free water to drink, concentrations in high-energy microwaved brain of PGE₂, TXB₂ and leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) were elevated. In rats infused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid, 6 weeks of treatment with a low (10 mg/kg/day) or high (100 mg/kg/day) ASA dose in drinking water decreased brain PGE₂, but increased LTB₄, LXA₄ and 15-epi-LXA₄ concentrations. Both doses attenuated the LPS effects on PGE₂, and TXB₂. The increments in LXA₄ and 15-epi-LXA₄ caused by high-dose ASA were significantly greater in LPS-infused rats. The ability of ASA to increase anti-inflammatory LXA₄ and 15-epi-LXA₄ and reduce pro-inflammatory PGE₂ and TXB₂ suggests considering aspirin further for treating clinical neuroinflammation.
authors.affiliation: Brain Physiology and Metabolism Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 9, Room 1S126, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Mireille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Basselin
authors.forename: Epolia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramadan
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Stanley I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Rapoport
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D044045:Lipoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D044045:Lipoxins; C040527:lipoxin A4; D007975:Leukotriene B4; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D015232:Dinoprostone; D001241:Aspirin