Effect of Etoricoxib in the cerebral hypoperfusion induced on memory impairment and hippocampal damage in rats

AbstractEtoricoxib is one of the most often prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It selectively inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). COX II inhibitors recently had shown to have neuroprotective properties in animal models of acute neurologic injury. We assessed the effect of anti-inflammatory drug Etoricoxib, a selective COX II inhibitor on cerebral hypoperfusion injury. It has been reported that behavioral and histopathological abnormalities are occur by long-term cerebral hypoperfusion induced by permanent BCCA occlusion. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated group, a control group, and a model group with permanent BCCA occlusion. Etoricoxib 10 mg/kg was administered to model group. In the present study, as tested by open field paradigm and Morris’ water maze, a propensity towards anxiety and disturbances of learning/memory were observed in animals subjected to hypoperfusion for 2 weeks. Etoricoxib pretreatment (10 mg/kg/day) significantly reduced these hypoperfusion induced functional disturbances. Moreover, in histopathological evaluation of rat forebrain subjected to hypoperfusion there were reactive changes in the form of gliosis, astrocytosis and cellular edema. While Etoricoxib pretreatment showed the decreased severity in reactive changes. The results suggest that Etoricoxib may be useful in treatment of cerebral hypoperfusion injury and this effect may be due to possible anti-inflammatory activity. Further research is needed on COX II inhibitor’s role in neuroinflammation.