Differential role of cyclooxygenase isozymes on neuronal density in hippocampus CA1 region of intracerebroventricular streptozotocin treated rat brain

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of streptozotocin (STZ) causes degeneration of hippocampal neurons through unknown mechanisms that further lead to dementia. On assumption that enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX), which catalyzes the production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, may be involved in ICV-STZ induced neurodegeneration, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of chronic treatment with selective inhibitor of COX-1, COX-2 or COX-3 on hippocampal neuronal density in ICV-STZ treated rats. Drugs were administered daily for 21 days, intraperitoneally, in sham control as well as ICV-STZ treated rats. After 21 days of treatment, rats were sacrificed and histological changes were observed in Cornus Ammonis (CA)-1 region of hippocampus at light microscopic level. Histopathological evaluation showed that valeryl salicylate (selective COX-1 inhibitor; 5 and 10 mg/kg; i.p.) and etoricoxib (selective COX-2 inhibitor; 5 and 10 mg/kg; i.p.) significantly increased the survival of hippocampus CA1 neurons in a dose dependent manner. On the contrary, phenacetin (selective COX-3 inhibitor; 20 and 40 mg/kg; i.p.) treatment had no effect on reduced neuronal density in ICV-STZ treated rats. In summary, these findings provide the first comprehensive description about the differential role of COX isozymes in ICV-STZ induced neuronal death in hippocampal CA1 regions of the rat brain.

► Central STZ administration induces histopathological changes in rat's brain.
► Chronic administration of selective COX-1 and/or COX-2 inhibitors reduces the pyknotic neuronal count in ICV-STZ treated rats.
► Chronic pretreatment of selective COX-3 inhibitor failed to retain the neuronal cells healthy.
► Light microscopic examination of Nissl stained hippocampal CA1 brain sections.