Affiliation:
1. Laboratory for Physical Activity Sciences and Research Group in Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress. Department of Basic Biology and Health Sciences, IUNICS, University of Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
2. Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Biology Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Abstract
Inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of many complex diseases
and disorders including autoimmune diseases, metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases,
and cardiovascular pathologies. Prostaglandins play a regulatory role in inflammation.
Cyclooxygenases are the main mediators of inflammation by catalyzing the initial step of arachidonic
acid metabolism and prostaglandin synthesis. The differential expression of the constitutive
isoform COX-1 and the inducible isoform COX-2, and the finding that COX-1 is the
major form expressed in the gastrointestinal tract, lead to the search for COX-2-selective
inhibitors as anti-inflammatory agents that might diminish the gastrointestinal side effects of
traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). COX-2 isoform is expressed
predominantly in inflammatory cells and decidedly upregulated in chronic and acute inflammations,
becoming a critical target for many pharmacological inhibitors. COX-2 selective inhibitors
happen to show equivalent efficacy with that of conventional NSAIDs, but they have
reduced gastrointestinal side effects. This review would elucidate the most recent findings on
selective COX-2 inhibition and their relevance to human pathology, concretely in inflammatory
pathologies characterized by a prolonged pro-inflammatory status, including autoimmune
diseases, metabolic syndrome, obesity, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, chronic inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular
pathologies.
Funder
Programme of Promotion of Biomedical Research and Health Sciences CIBEROBN
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Pharmacology,Molecular Medicine,Drug Discovery,Biochemistry,Organic Chemistry
Cited by
144 articles.
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