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RESEARCH COMMUNICATION |
Vascular Inflammation and
a Experimental Pathology, The William Harvey Research Institute, St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, U.K.; and
b Unit of Critical Care Medicine, Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, U.K.
| ABSTRACT |
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Key Words: antiinflammatory agents cyclooxygenase inhibitors disease models prostaglandins prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase
| INTRODUCTION |
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PLA2 exists in both calcium-dependent and -independent isoforms. The extracellular or secretory PLA2 (sPLA2) requires millimolar levels of calcium for activation whereas the intracellular or cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2) requires only nanomolar levels of calcium (for review, see ref 2 ). Thus, sPLA2 is activated continuously by the levels of calcium found in the extracellular environment, whereas cPLA2 is activated via increases in intracellular calcium elicited by inflammatory mediators such as bradykinin (35).
Similar to PLA2, COX exists in multiple isoforms. A constitutive isoform (COX-1) is thought to be responsible for the `housekeeping' functions of the enzyme whereas the inducible (COX-2) isoform (6, 7) is thought to mediate inflammatory events. COX-2 is expressed in vitro in response to a number of proinflammatory mediators (811) and in vivo at the site of inflammation (12, 13). As traditional nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) appear to produce at least some of their beneficial effects by inhibiting COX-2 and their deleterious side effects by inhibiting COX-1 (7), the development of selective COX-2 inhibitors has been an area of intense pharmaceutical research. Increasing the supply of arachidonic acid markedly reduces the potency of both traditional NSAIDs and newer selective COX-2 inhibitors as inhibitors of COX-2 activity in vitro (14, 15). As the activity of phospholipase A2 and hence free arachidonic acid levels are elevated at inflammatory sites, this implies that in vivo application of an NSAID such as sodium salicylate will produce lesser reductions in prostanoid production at inflammatory sites than at noninflammatory sites.
Therefore we have addressed for the first time in vivo two important and related questions. First, what is the effect of increasing the supply of arachidonic acid from either exogenous or endogenous sources on the activity of COX-2? Second, what effect does increasing the levels of free arachidonic acid have on the COX-2-inhibiting effects of traditional NSAIDs and novel COX-2-selective compounds?
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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was bought from
Amersham International (Little Chalfont, Bucks). NS 398 was obtained
from Cayman Chemicals (Ann Arbor, Mich.). Celecoxib was prepared by
Boehringer Ingleheim (Germany). All other compounds were purchased from
Sigma Chemical Company (Poole, Dorset).
Surgical procedure
Male Wistar rats (220250 g; Tuck, U.K.) were anesthetized with
thiobutabarbital sodium (Inactin; 120 mg kg -1, i.p.). The
trachea was cannulated to facilitate respiration. The right carotid
artery was cannulated and connected to a pressure transducer (Elcomatic
Type 750) for the measurement of systemic blood pressure, which was
recorded on a Graphtec Linearcorder (Type WR 3101). Mean arterial
pressure (MAP) was calculated as the diastolic pressure plus one third
of the pulse pressure. Hemodynamic parameters were measured throughout
the protocol. A cannula was also introduced into the left jugular vein
for the administration of drugs. Body temperature was maintained at
37°C via a homeothermic blanket regulated by a rectal thermometer
(Biosciences, Shernedd, Kent).
Upon completion of the surgical procedure, animals were left for 15 min to allow stabilization of the cardiovascular parameters. Animals were treated (t=-1 h) with one of the following: NS 398 (0.3 to 10 mg kg-1 i.p.) (16), celecoxib (0.01 to 3 mg kg-1 i.p.) (17), diclofenac (5 or 10 mg kg-1 i.p.), or drug vehicle (10% w/v DMSO or saline, as appropriate). Commencing 1 h later (t=0), animals received a 6 h continuous infusion of lipopolysaccharide [LPS, serotype 0127:B8 (12,500,000 endotoxin units/mg) 0.2 mg kg-1 h-1] or LPS vehicle (saline). At the end of the infusion period with LPS or vehicle (t=6 h), animals were challenged with a final bolus of arachidonic acid (3 mg kg -1 i.v.) or bradykinin (10 µmol kg-1, i.v.). Blood samples (500 µl) were taken via the carotid artery cannula at t = 0, 2, 4, 6 h, and 1 min after administration of the final bolus of arachidonic acid or bradykinin. The animals were then killed by overdose of anesthetic and organs were snap-frozen, under hexane, for immunohistochemical analysis of COX-2 expression.
Measurement of plasma 6 keto-PGF1
The plasma concentration of 6 keto-prostaglandin (PG)
F1
, the stable hydrolysis product of prostacyclin
(PGI2), was measured by specific radioimmunoassay as a
determinant of COX activity.
Data analysis
Significant differences were determined by one-way analysis of
variance, followed by Dunnett's test. P <0.05 was
considered to be statistically significant.
| RESULTS |
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such that at t = 6 h levels were
elevated more than 30-fold (Fig. 1
).Moreover, after 6 h of LPS infusion, COX-2 immunoreactivity was
expressed in the endothelium and smooth muscle of all organs studied
(heart, spleen, aorta, and kidney; data not shown) and was particularly
prevalent in the vasculature of the lung (data not shown).
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Synergy between supply of arachidonic acid and induction of COX-2
In naive rats, a bolus injection of arachidonic acid (3 mg
kg-1, i.v.) caused a small increase in the circulating
levels of 6 keto-PGF1
(Fig. 2A
).However, infusion of LPS caused a dramatic elevation in the acute
formation of 6 keto-PGF1
such that at 4 and 6 h it
was increased by more than 120-fold (Fig. 2A
). Similarly, at
6 h there was a clear synergy between bradykinin and LPS (Fig. 2B
). For example, in LPS-treated animals, 10 µmol
kg-1 bradykinin caused a far greater increase in plasma 6
keto-PGF1
levels than did 100 µmol kg-1
bradykinin in time-matched controls (Fig. 2B
).
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Effect of a `classical NSAID', diclofenac
Diclofenac (5 mg kg-1) inhibited by more than 90%
the increase in plasma 6 keto-PGF1
concentration caused
by infusion of LPS for 6 h, but was without effect against the
large increase in plasma 6 keto-PGF1
levels recorded 1
min after bolus injection of arachidonic acid (Table 1
).At a dose of 10 mg kg-1, however, diclofenac inhibited by
more than 95% the rise in plasma 6 keto-PGF1
caused by
arachidonic acid injection (Table 1)
. In naive animals, diclofenac (10
mg kg-1) potently inhibited 6 keto-PGF1
levels after arachidonic acid (Table 2
).
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Effects of COX-2-selective inhibitors in LPS-treated animals
NS 398 at all doses tested (0.3 to 10 mg kg-1)
reduced by more than 90% the increase in plasma 6
keto-PGF1
concentration caused by infusion of LPS for
6 h (Fig. 3A
).However, in LPS-treated rats NS 398 inhibited the arachidonic
acid-induced rise in 6 keto-PGF1
only at doses greater
than 3 mg kg-1 (Fig. 3B
).
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Celecoxib at doses between 0.01 mg kg-1 and 3 mg
kg-1 inhibited by more than 80% the increases in plasma 6
keto-PGF1
levels caused by LPS infusion for 6 h
(Fig. 4A
).At the lowest dose tested, however, celecoxib was without effect
against the rapid elevations in plasma 6 keto-PGF1
caused by bolus injection of arachidonic acid (Fig. 4B
).
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Effects of COX-2-selective inhibitors in naive animals
NS 398 at 3 and 10 mg kg-1 and celecoxib at doses
between 0.3 mg kg-1 and 3 mg kg-1 were
without significant effect on the plasma 6-keto-PGF1
concentration after arachidonic acid bolus in naive animals (Table 2)
.
Cardiovascular parameters
LPS infusion (0.2 mg kg-1 h-1) for
6 h produced a significant fall in MAP between 2 h and 6 h, in comparison with time-matched controls (Table 3
).Treatment with diclofenac or the COX-2-selective inhibitors were
without effect on the fall in MAP between 2 and 6 h (Table 3)
.
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| DISCUSSION |
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in a
COX-2-induced rat than does 100 µmol bradykinin in a naive animal.
Our second important observation is that increasing the supply of
arachidonic acid in vivo reduces the effectiveness of NSAIDs
as inhibitors of prostanoid production. This clearly indicates that at
sites of inflammation, where phospholipase A2 activity and
hence free arachidonic acid levels are highest, competitively acting
NSAIDs must be present in higher concentrations than other systemic
sites to produce equivalent reductions in prostanoid formation.
It seems clear that an increase in the expression of COX-2 was
responsible for the exaggerated production of prostanoids accumulating
in the plasma and after arachidonic acid administration in LPS-treated
rats. First, the time course of the increase in basal and arachidonic
acid-stimulated 6 keto-PGF1
formation was consistent
with the time course of COX-2 induction (1821). Second, the selective
COX-2 inhibitors NS-398 (16) and celecoxib (17) reduced both basal and
arachidonic acid-stimulated 6 keto-PGF1
formation in
LPS-treated rats but not in naive animals. Third, immunohistochemical
analysis showed that treatment with LPS greatly increased the
expression of COX-2 in blood vessels throughout the rats. In
LPS-treated animals, the formation of 6 keto-PGF1
after
arachidonic acid bolus did not increase after 4 h, whereas plasma
levels of 6 keto-PGF1
increased the most between 4 and
6 h. These observations are consistent with induction of COX-2
protein being maximal within 4 h, after which time the activity of
this COX-2 was reflected by the increase in plasma 6
keto-PGF1
levels. However, at both 4 and 6 h the
basal formation of 6 keto-PGF1
represented only a
fraction of the potential synthetic capacity of COX-2 (20). Supplying
arachidonic acid revealed this synthetic capacity had increased by more
than 140-fold. Clearly, arachidonic acid supplied as a bolus is not a
direct model for the release of arachidonic acid from endogenous
stores. To this end, we treated animals with bradykinin, which can
release arachidonic acid from endogenous stores through the activation
of PLA2 (22). As with exogenous arachidonic acid, the
formation of 6 keto-PGF1
after bolus injection of
bradykinin was greatly increased (>120-fold) after infusion of LPS.
These observations lead to the inevitable conclusion that COX-2 induction alone, irrespective of its degree, does not automatically result in an exaggerated production of prostanoids. An increase in the supply of arachidonic acid is also needed. This increased supply can obviously follow the stimulation of phospholipase A2 by local mediators such as bradykinin, as has been demonstrated in the isolated kidney (23). Similarly, arachidonic acid can be supplied exogenously, as has been demonstrated also in the isolated kidney (19) and in vivo (20). The release of prostanoids dependent on the activity of COX-2 must then be seen as a two-component event: induction of COX-2, event one, and supply of arachidonic acid, event two. Both events are essential. Indeed, it has recently been demonstrated (24) that in essential fatty acid-deficient rats, a reduction in arachidonic acid levels was associated with a reduction in paw swelling after injection of Mycobacterium butyricum.
Having established that the supply of arachidonic acid is a key
regulator of the activity of COX-2 in vivo, we investigated
the impact of this on the potencies of NSAID drugs. As the supply of
arachidonic acid influences the potencies of NSAIDs in vitro
(15, 25), we reasoned it would similarly influence their potencies
in vivo. This was indeed the case, as typified by the
`classical' NSAID, diclofenac. Thus, though diclofenac at lower doses
effectively inhibited the increase in circulating
6-keto-PGF1
caused by LPS infusion, it was without
effect against the formation of 6 keto-PGF1
that
followed the bolus injection of arachidonic acid. Higher doses were
required to inhibit this latter response. This effect of COX-2
substrate was not limited to the diclofenac. The selective COX-2
inhibitors celecoxib (17), and especially NS-398 (26), were less able
to reduce 6 keto-PGF1
production when free arachidonic
acid levels were high.
Our observations have clear implications for the therapeutic use of
NSAIDs. In local sites of inflammation (e.g., in arthritic joints),
cellular levels of free arachidonic acid will be higher than those
found systemically. This increased supply of arachidonic acid will
blunt the ability of NSAIDs to inhibit prostanoid formation at these
inflamed sites. To achieve good inhibition at inflammatory sites,
NSAIDs must be applied at doses that will produce at all other sites
containing lower levels of free arachidonic acid even greater
inhibition of prostanoid production. As many of these other sites
contain COX-1, which is responsible for the generation of
physiologically important prostanoids, the application of high doses of
non-COX-1/2-selective or poorly COX-2-selective NSAIDs frequently
produces unwanted side effects. What about COX-2-selective compounds?
At doses of 0.1 mg kg-1 or greater, celecoxib effectively
inhibited both the LPS-induced increases in circulating 6
keto-PGF1
levels and the large increase in plasma 6
keto-PGF1
that followed bolus injection of arachidonic
acid. This agrees with the efficacy of celecoxib as an inhibitor of the
chronic inflammation associated with adjuvant arthritis in the rat
(ED50 0.37 mg-1 kg-1 day) (17).
Celecoxib is much less effective as an analgesic agent in the
Hargreaves hyperalgesia model (ED50 34.5 mg-1
kg-1) (17). Indeed, the more than 100-fold difference
between the doses of celecoxib effective in producing analgesia and in
inhibiting 6 keto-PGF1
formation (even in the presence
of high free arachidonic acid levels) suggests that there may be roles for COX-1 products as mediators of hyperalgesia.
In summary, our data lead to two important conclusions. First, the exaggerated production of prostanoids that often follows COX-2 induction is regulated by the supply of arachidonic acid. Increasing prostanoid production in inflammation therefore requires a two-component response: increased COX-2 expression and increased arachidonic acid supply. Second, the supply of arachidonic acid to COX-2 determines the effectiveness of NSAIDs. Particularly at sites of inflammation, NSAIDs will inhibit prostanoid production in a manner that is inversely related to arachidonic acid supply. This observation was true both for `classical NSAIDs' and for the newer COX-2-selective inhibitors NS398 and celecoxib. NSAIDs and COX-2-selective inhibitors will, therefore, generally be less effective at more inflamed sites where phospholipase A2 activity is increased (27). This provides a rationale for the very high doses of NSAIDs required in human conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and for the discrepancies between in vitro tests of COX selectivity and in vivo efficacy.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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2 Abbreviations: COX, cyclo-oxygenase; COX-1, constitutive isoform; COX-2, inducible isoform; cPLA2, cytosolic phospholipase A2; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; MAP, mean arterial pressure; NSAIDs, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; PG, prostaglandin; sPLA2, secretory PLA2;.
Received for publication August 20, 1998.
Revision received October 14, 1998.
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