Fig. 7.

Role of COX-1 and COX-2 in LPS-induced behavioural changes and inflammatory mediator production. Effect of the selective COX-1 inhibitor piroxicam (10 mg/kg), or the selective COX-2 inhibitor nimesulide (10 mg/kg) pre-treatment on expression levels of (A) circulating IL-6 measured in serum samples taken at 3 h following intra-peritoneal injection of LPS, (B) circulating PGE₂ metabolites measured in serum samples taken at 3 h following intra-peritoneal injection of LPS, (E) relative levels of TNF-α mRNA copies, (F) relative levels of IL-6 mRNA copies, and (G) relative levels of COX-2 mRNA copies. mRNA was measured from punches through the hippocampus taken 3 h following intra-peritoneal injection of LPS. Values of circulating inflammatory mediators are expressed as mean pg/ml ± SEM, n = 4–5 mice per group. ∗p < 0.05 one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s test compared to saline. mRNA expression levels were quantified by quantitative PCR using 40 amplification cycles. Values are relative to GAPDH expression and expressed as Arbitrary Units (ARB units). n = 5 mice per group; * indicated statistically different as compared to saline treatment ∗p < 0.05 with one-way ANOVA following Dunnett’s post-test. A total of 19 mice was used in this experiment: saline n = 4, LPS alone n = 5, picotamide + LPS n = 5, nimesulide n = 5 per group.