The Role of COX-2 Inhibitors in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases

Abstract

Chronic inflammation is a slow, long term inflammation which lasts for a prolonged period, with a range from several months to years, which has now been ranked as one of the single greatest threats to human health by the World Health Organisation (WHO).In inflammatory conditions, COX-2 is increasingly produced by cytokines, growth factors and bacterial endotoxin, its enzymatic activity accounts for a large number of PGs produced during inflammation. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are nonselective inhibitors for both COX isoforms. Inhibition of COX-2 leads to therapeutic inhibition of the synthesis of proinflammatory PGs, however, this inhibition can lead to side effects. New pharmaceutical drugs which are highly selective COX-2 inhibitors, celecoxib, etoricoxib, and diclofenac, have shown to be as effective as NSAIDs with reduced side effects on various chronic inflammatory diseases, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, COPD, Parkinson, Alzheimer’s, Cardiovascular Diseases et cetera.