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THE EFFECT OF THE PREFERENTIAL COX-2 INHIBITING NSAID. MELOXICAM ON PLASMA TNF- 11-6 LEVELS IN A MURINE FRACTURE MODEL

Belfast

NSAID’s cycle-oxygenase (COX) inhibitory characteristics are either non-specific, COX-1 preferential or recently COX-2 preferential. NSAID’s have been widely reported to delay fracture repair however the mechanism of this affect remains unclear.

Left femoral osteotomies were performed in 54 male 3 month old CFLP mice immobilised with uniplanar external fixators. 27 externally fixated mice received 4mg/kg meloxicam,b.d., from the day of surgery, by gavage. The control group received the carrier alone. 18 mice had external fixators applied to intact femurs and received no meloxicam as a sham control. Individual mouse movement, was quantified each day by autocounters using an infrared beam motion detection system. Plasma was obtained by right ventricular aspiration under anaesthesia on days 2,4,8 and 16-post surgery.

A validated bioassay and a slot blotting immunoassay were employed to determine the plasma concentration of 11-6 and relative TNF- levels to normal mouse serum.

TNF- levels peaked at day 4 and were suppressed by COX-2 inhibition. Both the control and treatment groups had higher levels of TNF- than the non-fractured controls. The plasma concentration of 11-6 was elevated by COX-2 inhibition at all time points. The levels of TNF- and 11-6 correlated in fracture control and treatment groups (Spearman’s 0.039 and 0.002 respectively). The 11-6 plasma concentration correlated to the animal motion in the treatment group alone (Spearman’s 0.017).

As it has been shown that TNF- induces 11-6 production and that this inhibits TNF- production a possible model for these interaction is shown below.

The abstracts were prepared by Mr Ray Moran. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the Irish Orthopaedic Association, Secretariat, c/o Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital, Finglas, Dublin