Research

Flavocoxid, a dual inhibitor of COX-2 and 5-LOX of natural origin, attenuates the inflammatory response and protects mice from sepsis

Alessandra Bitto^1†, Letteria Minutoli^1†, Antonio David^2†, Natasha Irrera¹, Mariagrazia Rinaldi¹, Francesco S Venuti², Francesco Squadrito^1* and Domenica Altavilla¹

• * Corresponding author: Francesco Squadrito Francesco.Squadrito@unime.it

• † Equal contributors

Author Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology, Section of Pharmacology, University of Messina, via C. Valeria Gazzi, Messina, 98125, Italy

² Department of Neurosciences, Psychiatry and Anaesthesiology, University of Messina, via C. Valeria Gazzi, Messina, 98125, Italy

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Critical Care 2012, 16:R32 doi:10.1186/1364-8535-16-R32

Published: 22 February 2012

Abstract

Introduction

Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) is an inflammatory condition that leads to multisystemic organ failure. Flavocoxid, a dual inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), has been shown in vitro to possess antiinflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rat macrophages by reducing nuclear factor (NF)-κB activity and COX-2, 5-LOX and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of flavocoxid in a murine model of CLP-induced polymicrobial sepsis.

Methods

C57BL/6J mice were subjected to CLP or sham operation. In a first set of experiments, an intraperitoneal injection of flavocoxid (20 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered 1 hour after surgery and repeated every 12 hours. Survival rate was monitored every 24 hours throughout 120 hours. Furthermore, additional groups of sham and CLP mice were killed 18 hours after surgical procedures for blood-sample collection and the lung and liver were collected for biomolecular, biochemical and histopathologic studies.

Results

COX-2, 5-LOX, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, extracellular-regulated-kinase 1/2 (ERK), JunN-terminal kinase (JNK), NF-κB, and β-arrestin 2 protein expression were evaluated in lung and liver with Western blot analysis. In addition, leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄), prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), cytokines, and lipoxin A₄ serum content were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Flavocoxid administration improved survival, reduced the expression of NF-κB, COX-2, 5-LOX, TNF-α and IL-6 and increased IL-10 production. Moreover, flavocoxid inhibited the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway, preserved β-arrestin 2 expression, reduced blood LTB₄, PGE₂, TNF-α and IL-6, and increased IL-10 and lipoxin A₄ serum levels. The treatment with flavocoxid also protected against the histologic damage induced by CLP and reduced the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the lung and liver.

Conclusions

Flavocoxid protects mice from sepsis, suggesting that this dual inhibitor may represent a promising approach in such a life-threatening condition.