The effect of celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, on liver ischemia/reperfusion-induced oxidative stress in rats

This study examined the effects of celecoxib on hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. A total of 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 190-210 g were randomized into 4 groups of 10: (1) controls: data from unmanipulated animals; (2) sham group: rats subjected to the surgical procedure, except for liver I/R, and given saline; (3) I/R group: rats that underwent liver ischemia for 1 h followed by reperfusion for 45 min; (4) I-R/Celecoxib group: rats pretreated with celecoxib (3 mg kg−1, i.p.) 40 min before liver I/R. Tc-99m sulfur colloid images were used to measure the uptake ratio and perfusion index. Liver tissues were taken to determine SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, and MDA levels and for biochemical and histological evaluation. The plasma ALT, AST, GGT, and LDH activities were higher in group 3 than in group 4. The uptake ratio was significantly lower in group 3 compared to groups 1, 2, and 4. In addition, in group 4, the uptake ratio and perfusion index were also significantly higher compared to group 3. MDA values and the hepatic injury score decreased, while the SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px values increased in group 4 compared to group 3. In group 3, hepatocytes were swollen with marked vacuolization. Group 4 showed well preserved liver parenchyma with hepatocytes arranged radially around the central vein; there were regular sinusoidal structures with normal morphology without any signs of congestion. We showed that celecoxib has beneficial effects in hepatic I/R injury and may protect the liver.