COX-2 inhibition and the control of pain

The discovery of the two isoenzymes of cyclooxygenase COX-1 and COX-2 and their separate functions, localization and regulation, has initiated the search for new and more selective inhibitors of prostaglandin biosynthesis. Selective COX-2 inhibitors were developed in order to improve an anti-inflamm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurrent opinion in investigational drugs (London, England : 2000) Vol. 3; no. 9; p. 1348
Main Authors Kiefer, Werner, Dannhardt, Gerd
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.09.2002
Subjects
Animals
Cyclooxygenase 2
Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors
Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors - chemistry
Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors - metabolism
Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Humans
Isoenzymes - antagonists & inhibitors
Isoenzymes - metabolism
Membrane Proteins
Pain - drug therapy
Pain - enzymology
Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases - metabolism
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Summary:The discovery of the two isoenzymes of cyclooxygenase COX-1 and COX-2 and their separate functions, localization and regulation, has initiated the search for new and more selective inhibitors of prostaglandin biosynthesis. Selective COX-2 inhibitors were developed in order to improve an anti-inflammatory and analgesic specificity and potency. The role of inducible COX-2 at the peripheral site of inflammation is well known. The discovery of COX-2 in the spinal cord suggests that it is responsible for spinal prostaglandin release in nociceptive processes following a peripheral inflammatory stimulus. In the future, selective COX-2 inhibitors such as celecoxib (GD Searle & Co), rofecoxib (Merck & Co Inc) and the recently developed etoricoxib (Merck & Co Inc) may play an important role in the treatment of a wider range of pain conditions in addition to their present use as anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.
ISSN:1472-4472