Propellant Free Pressurized Spray System of Etodolac to Manage Acute Pain Conditions: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation.

This study aimed to develop a propellant-free topical spray formulation of Etodolac (BCS-II), a potent NSAID, which could be beneficial in the medical field for the effective treatment of pain and inflammation conditions. The developed novel propellant-free spray formulation is user-friendly, cost-effective, propellant-free, eco-friendly, enhances the penetration of Etodolac through the skin, and has a quick onset of action. Various formulations were developed by adjusting the concentrations of different components, including lecithin, buffering agents, film-forming agents, plasticizers, and permeation enhancers. The prepared propellant-free spray formulations were then extensively characterized and evaluated through various in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo parameters. The optimized formulation exhibits an average shot weight of 0.24 ± 0.30 ml and an average drug content or content uniformity of 87.3 ± 1.01% per spray. Additionally, the optimized formulation exhibits an evaporation time of 3 ± 0.24 min. The skin permeation study demonstrated that the permeability coefficients of the optimized spray formulation were 21.42 cm/h for rat skin, 13.64 cm/h for mice skin, and 18.97 cm/h for the Strat-M membrane. When assessing its potential for drug deposition using rat skin, mice skin, and the Strat-M membrane, the enhancement ratios for the optimized formulation were 1.88, 2.46, and 1.92, respectively against pure drug solution. The findings from our study suggest that the propellant-free Etodolac spray is a reliable and safe topical formulation. It demonstrates enhanced skin deposition, and improved effectiveness, and is free from any skin irritation concerns.

Development and Optimization of Proniosomal Gel Containing Etodolac: In-vitro, Ex-vivo and In-vivo Evaluation / Desarrollo y optimización del gel proniosomal que contiene etodolaco: evaluación in vitro, ex vivo e in vivo

Introducción: Etodolac se usa en el tratamiento del dolor agudo y la inflamación. Tiene baja solubilidad debido a la alta hidrofobia y se informa que tras la administración oral muestra alteraciones gástricas. Esto fomenta el desarrollo de formulación tópica en lugar de oral. Método: En este trabajo utilizamos el método de separación de fase de coacervación para el desarrollo del sistema vesicular cargado con etodolaco mediante el uso de tensioactivos no iónicos, colesterol y lecitina de soja. El diseño central compuesto (rotativo) se utilizó para optimizar las concentraciones de lecitina de soja, surfactante y colesterol. Las formulaciones preparadas se caracterizaron por análisis de tamaño de vesículas, potencial zeta, eficiencia de atrapamiento, permeación in vitro, permeación ex vivo y estudio antiinflamatorio. Resultados: Etodolac quedó atrapado con éxito en todas las formulaciones que tenían una eficiencia en el intervalo de 74,36% a 90,85%, siendo mayor a 4 ° C que a temperatura ambiente. Cuando se hidrata con agua, los niosomas se producen espontaneamente el rango de 54 a 141 (por mm cúbico). Los resultados del estudio de difusión in vitro revelaron que el etodolaco se liberó en un rango de 71,86 a 97,16% durante un período de 24 horas. El tamaño medio de vesícula de la formulación optimizada se encontró en 211,9 nm con un PDI de 0,5. Las respuestas observadas, es decir,% de eficacia de encapsulación y liberación de fármaco, fueron 74,12 y 95,08 respectivamente. El potencial zeta fue de -19,4 mV y reveló la estabilidad de la formulación, que fue confirmada adicionalmente por la ausencia de cambios en el contenido del fármaco y la liberación del fármaco después de los estudios de estabilidad. El% de inhibición en el volumen de la pata fue del 40,52% y del 43,61% para la prueba y el gel proniosómico comercializado. (AU)

Introduction: Etodolac is used in the treatment of acute pain and inflammation. It has low solubility because of high hydrophobicity and it is reported that upon oral administration shows gastric disturbances. This encourages the development of topical vesicular formulation. Method: In this work we used coacervation-phase separation method for the development of etodolac loaded ve-sicular system by using non-ionic surfactants, cholesterol and soya lecithin. Central composite design (rotatble) was used to optimize the concentrations of soy lecithin, surfactant and cholesterol. The prepared formulations were characterized by number of vesicles formed, vesicle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, in-vitro permeation, ex-vivo permeation and anti-inflammatory study. Results: Etodolac was successfully entrapped in all formulations having efficiency in the range of 74.36% to 90.85%, which was more at 4 °C than room temperature. When hydrated with water; niosome in the range of 54 to 141 (per cubic mm) were spontaneously produced. The results of in-vitro diffusion study revealed that etodolac was released in the range of 71.86 to 97.16% over a period of 24 hrs. The average vesicle size of optimized formulation was found 211.9 nm with PDI of 0.5. The observed responses i.e. % encapsulation efficiency and drug release were 74.12 and 95.08 respectively. The zeta potential was -19.4mV revealed the stability of formulation which was further confirmed by no changes in drug content and drug release after stability studies. The % inhibition in paw volume was 40.52% and 43.61% for test and marketed proniosomal gel. (AU)

Etodolac nanosuspension based gel for enhanced dermal delivery: in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

AIM: The objective of this study was to develop dermal nanosuspension (NS) based gel formulation of etodolac (ETD). METHODS: Etodolac nanosuspension (ETD-NS) was prepared by wet milling method and dispersed in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (NS-HPMC) or hydroxyethyl cellulose (NS-HEC) gels. Rheologic and mechanical properties were investigated. In vitro and ex vivo permeability studies were performed. Topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity were evaluated in regard to carrageenan-induced inflammatory paw oedema and radiant heat tail-flick method, respectively. RESULTS: The ETD-NS with approximately 190 nm particle size (PS), 0.16 polydispersity index (PDI), and -15 mV zeta potential (ZP) values were obtained. The work of bioadhesion values of NS-HEC and NS-HPMC gels were 0.229 mJ/cm2 for both gels. Dermal permeation of ETD from NS-HEC gel (7.18%) was found significantly higher than the NS-HPMC gel (4.56%). Enhanced anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of NS-HEC gels were observed in comparison with micronised ETD. CONCLUSIONS: ETD-NS based gel formulation is promising for topical delivery of ETD.

Design by optimization and comparative evaluation of vesicular gels of etodolac for transdermal delivery.

Aim of the present study was to design vesicular gels of etodolac loaded liposomes and ethosomes for effective transdermal delivery. The physicochemical properties of vesicular gels were compared with 45% v/v ethanolic etodolac solution and commercial product (PROXYM®). The liposomes were prepared by film hydration technique whereas ethosomes were prepared by cold method respectively. Both the systems were characterized for various physicochemical properties. The size range of liposomes shows 186 nm-363 nm whereas for ethosomes 170 nm-261 nm respectively. The zeta potential of optimized liposomes and ethosomes was found to be -36.5 mV and -48.3 mV, respectively. The highest %EE of liposomes and ethosomes shows 71.5% and 78.5%, respectively. The permeation of liposomes shows in the range of 67.50%-86.06% whereas ethosomes shows 52.30%-99.49%, respectively. The optimization was done by 32 experimental design. The optimized vesicular dispersions were subjected to gel preparation using carbopol 940 NF. The prepared liposomal gel (ETO-LG) and ethosomal gel (ETO-EG) were optimized and characterized. The vesicular gels showed desirable results compared to other test formulations.

Pharmacokinetic modeling and simulation of etodolac following single oral administration in dogs.

Etodolac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition to treat pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis in humans and dogs. The aim of the study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of etodolac following single oral administration of 200 mg to 10 healthy beagle dogs. The plasma concentrations of etodolac were detected using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted using the noncompartmental method and modeling approaches. Etodolac was rapidly absorbed (Tmax = 0.85 h, Ka = 1.49 h-1) and slowly eliminated (T1/2 = 39.55 h) following oral administration to the dogs. A two-compartment pharmacokinetic model with first-order absorption and elimination rate constants was successfully explained for the pharmacokinetic aspects of etodolac in dogs. From a Monte Carlo simulation (1000 repetitions), the accumulation index and AUCτ at steady state were predicted as 1.60 [90% confidence intervals (CI), 1.24-2.81] and 408.18 ng·hr/mL [90% CI, 271.26-590.58 ng·hr/mL], respectively. This study will help to enact a more accurate optimal dosing regimen of etodolac in dogs with osteoarthritis, and may be useful in developing a novel formulation of etodolac for human in the future.

Perioperative inhibition of ß-adrenergic and COX2 signaling in a clinical trial in breast cancer patients improves tumor Ki-67 expression, serum cytokine levels, and PBMCs transcriptome.

Catecholamines and prostaglandins are secreted abundantly during the perioperative period in response to stress and surgery, and were shown by translational studies to promote tumor metastasis. Here, in a phase-II biomarker clinical trial in breast cancer patients (n = 38), we tested the combined perioperative use of the ß-blocker, propranolol, and the COX2-inhibitor, etodolac, scheduled for 11 consecutive perioperative days, starting 5 days before surgery. Blood samples were taken before treatment (T1), on the mornings before and after surgery (T2&T3), and after treatment cessation (T4). Drugs were well tolerated. Results based on a-priori hypotheses indicated that already before surgery (T2), serum levels of pro-inflammatory IL-6, CRP, and IFNγ, and anti-inflammatory, cortisol and IL-10, increased. At T2 and/or T3, drug treatment reduced serum levels of the above pro-inflammatory cytokines and of TRAIL, as well as activity of multiple inflammation-related transcription factors (including NFκB, STAT3, ISRE), but not serum levels of cortisol, IL-10, IL-18, IL-8, VEGF and TNFα. In the excised tumor, treatment reduced the expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67, and positively affected its transcription factors SP1 and AhR. Exploratory analyses of transcriptome modulation in PBMCs revealed treatment-induced improvement at T2/T3 in several transcription factors that in primary tumors indicate poor prognosis (CUX1, THRa, EVI1, RORa, PBX1, and T3R), angiogenesis (YY1), EMT (GATA1 and deltaEF1/ZEB1), proliferation (GATA2), and glucocorticoids response (GRE), while increasing the activity of the oncogenes c-MYB and N-MYC. Overall, the drug treatment may benefit breast cancer patients through reducing systemic inflammation and pro-metastatic/pro-growth biomarkers in the excised tumor and PBMCs.

Mechanistic insights of the controlled release properties of amide adhesive and hydroxyl adhesive.

Although interactions between drugs and acrylate pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) containing amide groups were reported in the previous studies, detailed studies elucidating their mechanism of action are still lacking. In the present study, an amide PSA (AACONH2) and a hydroxyl PSA (AAOH, as the control) were synthesized, and their molecular mechanism of controlled drug release was described. Using zolmitriptan (ZOL) and etodolac (ETO) as model drugs, in vitro drug release and skin permeation experiments were performed. Intermolecular interactions between drugs and PSAs were determined by Flory-Huggins model, FT-IR spectroscopic analysis and molecular modeling. In addition, PSA mobility was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry and rheology study. Release percent of ZOL and ETO from AACONH2 were 43.9 ±â€¯0.3% and 50.0 ±â€¯2.0% respectively, while from AAOH, the release percent of ZOL and ETO were 61.4 ±â€¯1.2% and 81.0 ±â€¯1.2% separately. As a consequence of controlled drug release, skin permeation of both drugs was significantly controlled by AACONH2. It was demonstrated that AACONH2 markedly interacted with drugs, especially with ETO, through hydrogen bonding and weak intermolecular forces (e.g. dipole-dipole and van der waals). PSA mobility of AACONH2 was significantly increased due to drug-PSA interactions. In conclusion, AACONH2 had stronger controlled release properties compared with AAOH, which was mainly caused by the stronger interactions between amide groups and drugs. The amide PSA synthesized in the present study was a potential sustained-release excipient for transdermal drug delivery system.

Preparation, Characterization and In Vitro / In Vivo Evaluation of Oral Time-Controlled Release Etodolac Pellets.

The objective of this study was to prepare time-controlled release etodolac pellets to facilitate drug administration according to the body's biological rhythm, optimize the drug's desired effects, and minimize adverse effects. The preparation consisted of three laminal layers from center to outside: the core, the swelling layer, and the insoluble polymer membrane. Factors influenced the core and the coating films were investigated in this study. The core pellets formulated with etodolac, lactose, and sodium carboxymethyl starch (CMS-Na) were prepared by extrusion-spheronization and then coated by a fluidized bed coater. Croscarmellose sodium (CC-Na) was selected as the swelling agent, and ethyl cellulose (EC) as the controlled release layer. The prepared pellets were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and evaluated by a dissolution test and a pharmacokinetic study. Compared with commercial available capsules, pharmacokinetics studies in beagle dogs indicated that the prepared pellets release the drug within a short period of time, immediately after a predetermined lag time. A good correlation between in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption of the pellets was exhibited in the analysis.

Perioperative COX-2 and ß-Adrenergic Blockade Improves Metastatic Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Patients in a Phase-II Randomized Trial.

Purpose: Translational studies suggest that excess perioperative release of catecholamines and prostaglandins may facilitate metastasis and reduce disease-free survival. This trial tested the combined perioperative blockade of these pathways in breast cancer patients.Experimental Design: In a randomized placebo-controlled biomarker trial, 38 early-stage breast cancer patients received 11 days of perioperative treatment with a ß-adrenergic antagonist (propranolol) and a COX-2 inhibitor (etodolac), beginning 5 days before surgery. Excised tumors and sequential blood samples were assessed for prometastatic biomarkers.Results: Drugs were well tolerated with adverse event rates comparable with placebo. Transcriptome profiling of the primary tumor tested a priori hypotheses and indicated that drug treatment significantly (i) decreased epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, (ii) reduced activity of prometastatic/proinflammatory transcription factors (GATA-1, GATA-2, early-growth-response-3/EGR3, signal transducer and activator of transcription-3/STAT-3), and (iii) decreased tumor-infiltrating monocytes while increasing tumor-infiltrating B cells. Drug treatment also significantly abrogated presurgical increases in serum IL6 and C-reactive protein levels, abrogated perioperative declines in stimulated IL12 and IFNγ production, abrogated postoperative mobilization of CD16- "classical" monocytes, and enhanced expression of CD11a on circulating natural killer cells.Conclusions: Perioperative inhibition of COX-2 and ß-adrenergic signaling provides a safe and effective strategy for inhibiting multiple cellular and molecular pathways related to metastasis and disease recurrence in early-stage breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 23(16); 4651-61. ©2017 AACR.

Fast dissolving drug-drug eutectics with improved compressibility and synergistic effects.

Combinational therapy has become increasingly popular in recent times due to various advantages like greater therapeutic effect, reduced number of prescriptions, lower administrative costs, and an increase in patient compliance. Drug-drug multicomponent adducts could help in combination of drugs at supramolecular level. Two drug-drug eutectics of etodolac with paracetamol (EP) and etodolac with propranolol hydrochloride (EPHC) were successfully designed and synthesized for the first time. These eutectics significantly improved dissolution and material properties. A 6 to 9 fold enhancement in % dissolution efficiency was found at 1min suggesting the fast dissolving capabilities of the eutectic mixtures when compared to plain drug. In addition, eutectic mixtures have shown improved hardness compared to plain drugs. EP and EPHC have shown around 5 fold and 3 fold improvements in hardness respectively at 10MPa when compared to plain etodolac. Cell culture studies have shown improved effects of EP. Western blotting analysis revealed that the said combination successfully reduced various inflammatory mediators like TNF-α, COX-2 and IL-6. Whereas, the eutectic combination EPHC has shown enhanced cytotoxic effects with synergistic combination index and favorable dose reduction index. The generated multi-component systems EP and EPHC with fast dissolving capabilities, improved hardness at lower pressures and synergistic effects represent prospective combinations for effective treatment of osteoarthritis and cancer chemotherapy respectively.

Self-Assembling Organogels Based on Pluronic and Lecithin for Sustained Release of Etodolac: In Vitro and In Vivo Correlation.

BACKGROUND: Etodolac, a member of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), has a poor aqueous solubility. Long term administration of etodolac causes severe gastrointestinal disturbances such as peptic ulcer and bleeding. These disturbances could be overcome by alternative routes such as a topical administration. METHOD: In the present study, pluronic lecithin organogels (PLOs) were prepared by simple mixing of pluronic solution with lecithin solution. Etodolac was loaded into the prepared gels or added during the gel formation. The physicochemical properties of the modified organogels were investigated by different analysis including visual inspection, pH determination, viscosity, spreadability and extrudability. Also, the in vitro release studies of etodolac in the presence of different penetration enhancers were carried out. The anti-inflammatory behavior of the prepared etodolac organogel was investigated using carrageenan induced paw edema test. RESULTS: The results indicated that the prepared organogels showed good physicochemical properties. The organogels, containing a combination of tween 80 and oleic acid as penetration enhancers, showed the highest percentage of drug release. CONCLUSION: All tested organogels showed a significant oedema inhibition compared with oral indomethacin ® and Voltaren® as a topical marketed anti-inflammatory drug. Moreover, the increase of drug concentration from 1% to 5% w/w is accompanied with a longer duration of action up to 12 hrs. Therefore, the formulated organogels are considered as a promising vehicle for controlled topical delivery of etodolac.

Reducing liver metastases of colon cancer in the context of extensive and minor surgeries through ß-adrenoceptors blockade and COX2 inhibition.

Liver metastases are a major cause of colorectal cancer death, and the perioperative period is believed to critically affect the metastatic process. Here we tested whether blocking excess release of catecholamines and prostaglandins during surgical procedures of different extent can reduce experimental liver metastasis of the syngeneic CT26 colon cancer in female and male BALB/c mice. Animals were either treated with the beta-blocker, propranolol, the COX-2 inhibitor, etodolac, both drugs, or vehicle. The role of NK cells in controlling CT26 hepatic metastasis and in mediating the effect of the drugs was assessed by in vivo depletion or stimulation of NK cells, using anti-asialo GM1 or CpG-C, respectively. Surgical extent was manipulated by adding laparotomy to small incision, extending surgical duration, and enabling hypothermia. The results indicated that combined administration of propranolol and etodolac, but neither drug alone, significantly improved host resistance to metastasis. These beneficial effects occurred in both minor and extensive surgeries, in both sexes, and in two tumor inoculation approaches. NK cell-mediated anti-CT26 activity is involved in mediating the beneficial effects of the drugs. Specifically, CpG-C treatment, known to profoundly activate mice marginating-hepatic NK cytotoxicity, reduced CT26 hepatic metastases; and NK-depletion increased metastases and prevented the beneficial effects of the drugs. Overall, given prevalent perioperative psychological and physiological stress responses in patients, and ample prostaglandin release by colorectal tumors and injured tissue, propranolol and etodolac could be tested clinically in laparoscopic and open colorectal surgeries, attempting to reduce patients' metastatic disease.

Lidocaine self-sacrificially improves the skin permeation of the acidic and poorly water-soluble drug etodolac via its transformation into an ionic liquid.

Poor transdermal penetration of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) impairs both bioavailability and therapeutic benefits and is a major challenge in the development of transdermal drug delivery systems. Here, we transformed a poorly water-soluble drug, etodolac, into an ionic liquid in order to improve its hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity and skin permeability. The ionic liquid was prepared by mixing etodolac with lidocaine (1:1, mol/mol). Both the free drug and the transformed ionic liquid were characterized by differential scanning colorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and saturation concentration measurements. In addition, in vitro skin-permeation testing was carried out via an ionic liquid-containing patch (Etoreat patch). The lidocaine and etodolac in ionic liquid form led to a relatively lower melting point than either lidocaine or etodolac alone, and this improved the lipophilicity/hydrophilicity of etodolac. In vitro skin-permeation testing demonstrated that the Etoreat patch significantly increased the skin permeation of etodolac (9.3-fold) compared with an etodolac alone patch, although an Etoreat patch did not increase the skin permeation of lidocaine, which was consistent with the results when using a lidocaine alone patch. Lidocaine appeared to self-sacrificially improve the skin permeation of etodolac via its transformation into an ionic liquid. The data suggest that ionic liquids composed of approved drugs may substantially expand the formulation preparation method to meet the challenges of drugs which are characterized by poor rates of transdermal absorption.

An ionic liquid-in-water microemulsion as a potential carrier for topical delivery of poorly water soluble drug: Development, ex-vivo and in-vivo evaluation.

In this paper, we report an ionic liquid-in-water (IL/w) microemulsion (ME) formulation which is able to solubilize etodolac (ETO), a poorly water soluble drug for topical delivery using BMIMPF6 (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) as IL, Tween 80 as surfactant and ethanol as co-surfactant. The prepared ME was characterized for physicochemical parameters, subjected to ex-vivo permeation studies as well as in-vivo pharmacodynamic evaluation. The ex-vivo drug permeation studies through rat skin was performed using Franz-diffusion cell and the IL/w based ME showed maximum mean cumulative percent permeation of 99.030±0.921% in comparison to oil-in-water (o/w) ME (61.548±1.875%) and oily solution (48.830±2.488%) of ETO. In-vivo anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory activities of the prepared formulations were evaluated using different rodent models and the results revealed that ETO loaded IL/w based ME was found to be more effective in controlling inflammation than oily solution, o/w ME and marketed formulation of ETO. Histopathological studies also demonstrated that IL/w based ME caused no anatomical and pathological changes in the skin.

A window-of-opportunity biomarker study of etodolac in resectable breast cancer.

Observational data show that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use is associated with a lower rate of breast cancer. We evaluated the effect of etodolac, an FDA-approved NSAID reported to inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes and the retinoid X receptor alpha (RXR), on rationally identified potential biomarkers in breast cancer. Patients with resectable breast cancer planned for initial management with surgical resection were enrolled and took 400 mg of etodolac twice daily prior to surgery. Protein and gene expression levels for genes related to COX-2 and RXRα were evaluated in tumor samples from before and after etodolac exposure. Thirty subjects received etodolac and 17 subjects were assayed as contemporaneous or opportunistic controls. After etodolac exposure mean cyclin D1 protein levels, assayed by immunohistochemistry, decreased (P = 0.03). Notably, pre- versus post cyclin D1 gene expression change went from positive to negative with greater duration of etodolac exposure (r = -0.64, P = 0.01). Additionally, etodolac exposure was associated with a significant increase in COX-2 gene expression levels (fold change: 3.25 [95% CI: 1.9, 5.55]) and a trend toward increased ß-catenin expression (fold change: 2.03 [95% CI: 0.93, 4.47]). In resectable breast cancer relatively brief exposure to the NSAID etodolac was associated with reduced cyclin D1 protein levels. Effect was also observed on cyclin D1 gene expression with decreasing levels with longer durations of drug exposure. Increased COX-2 gene expression was seen, possibly due to compensatory feedback. These data highlight the utility of even small clinical trials with access to biospecimens for pharmacodynamic studies.

Overcoming paclitaxel resistance in uterine endometrial cancer using a COX-2 inhibitor.

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors have been reported to potentially modulate the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs by affecting multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) expression. In the present study, we investigated the association between COX-2 and MDR1 expression in endometrial cancers and evaluated the effects of the COX-2 inhibitor, etodolac, in combination with paclitaxel on paclitaxel-resistant endometrial cancer cells. The relationship between COX-2 and MDR1 mRNA expression was examined by quantitative PCR in 36 endometrial cancer specimens. The paclitaxel-resistant cell line OMC-2P was established from OMC-2 cells. Paclitaxel (1 µg/ml) with or without etodolac (10 µg/ml) was added to OMC-2 and OMC-2P cells, and COX-2 and MDR1 mRNA expression levels were examined. The concentration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the supernatant of each cell line was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The function of MDR1 was determined by intracellular accumulation of rhodamine 123 using flow cytometry, and the concentration of intracellular paclitaxel was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. We found a positive relationship between COX-2 and MDR1 mRNA expression in endometrial cancer. Both COX-2 mRNA expression and PGE2 production were elevated in resistant OMC-2P cells when compared to non-resistant OMC-2 cells. Additionally, MDR1 mRNA expression was markedly upregulated in OMC-2P cells. In OMC-2 cells, COX-2 and MDR1 mRNA levels were significantly upregulated by paclitaxel treatment and downregulated by co-administration with etodolac. In OMC-2P cells, COX-2 mRNA expression was also significantly upregulated by paclitaxel treatment and tended to be downregulated by co-administration with etodolac. Moreover, co-administration of paclitaxel and etodolac suppressed the induction of MDR1 mRNA. Rhodamine 123 efflux was increased in OMC-2P cells when compared to the efflux in the OMC-2 cells and was increased in response to paclitaxel treatment. Co-administration of paclitaxel and etodolac in both cell lines resulted in decreased rhodamine 123 efflux. The actual concentration of intracellular paclitaxel in OMC-2P cells was significantly lower than that in OMC-2 cells treated with paclitaxel alone and was significantly increased after co-administration of paclitaxel and etodolac. These findings suggest that paclitaxel resistance may be associated with COX-2 and MDR1 expression in cancer cells. Co-administration of COX-2 inhibitors and paclitaxel may have a key role in modulating or overcoming paclitaxel resistance in endometrial cancers.

Increased gastric mucus secretion alleviates non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced abdominal pain.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause dyspeptic symptoms, including abdominal pain. Gastric mucus is important as the first line of defense against luminal irritants. In the present study, we investigated whether gastric mucus secretion could influence the severity of gastric mucosal injuries or NSAID-induced dyspeptic symptoms. Fifteen Helicobacter pylori-negative, healthy males were administered two types of NSAIDs, a non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor, naproxen (300 mg, twice a day), or a cyclooxygenase-2-selective inhibitor, etodolac (200 mg, twice a day), for 1 week in a crossover study, with an interval of ≥ 4 weeks. Study participants underwent endoscopic examinations before and after treatment. Pentagastrin-stimulated gastric secretions were collected for 10 min during endoscopic examinations, and were analyzed for gastric acid levels (mEq/10 min) and mucus output (mg hexose/10 min). The grade of gastric mucosal injury was assessed endoscopically. Among 29 subjects who completed the crossover study, 11 individuals reported abdominal pain following the administration of naproxen or etodolac for 1 week, as judged by elevated pain scores, while 18 individuals did not report abdominal pain. The occurrence of symptoms was not associated with the type of NSAIDs administered or the occurrence of erosive injury visualized by endoscopy. Gastric mucus secretion was significantly increased in subjects without drug-induced abdominal pain (P < 0.05), whereas it was significantly reduced in those with drug-induced abdominal pain (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the occurrence of NSAID-induced abdominal pain is associated with reduced levels of gastric mucus secretion rather than the occurrence of endoscopic mucosal injury.

Evaluating the effects of diclofenac sodium and etodolac on renal hemodynamics with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is a novel approach used for measuring organ perfusion changes. Studies using CEUS to assess the effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on renal blood flow (RBF) have not yet been conducted. We aimed to evaluate the effects of NSAIDs on the renal hemodynamics of healthy subjects with CEUS. METHODS: We performed CEUS using the bolus injection method in a total of 10 healthy subjects. Measurements were completed over two study days in a randomized, crossover manner. On each study day, CEUS was performed twice, before and after the administration of NSAIDs. Subjects received an injection of contrast medium and images were recorded. A region-of-interest (ROI) was selected within the renal cortex, signal intensity in the ROI of the kidney was measured and a time-intensity curve (TIC) was automatically generated with attached software. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) peak intensity decreased significantly after an administration of diclofenac sodium (from 26.0 × 10(-4) ± 17.4 × 10(-4) AU to 19.2 × 10(-4) ± 12.0 × 10(-4) AU; P = 0.022), but not significantly with etodolac (from 26.5 × 10(-4) ± 9.7 × 10(-4) AU to 25.9 × 10(-4) ± 20.8 × 10(-4) AU; P = 0.474). The mean (±SD) percent reduction in intensity following diclofenac sodium administration was significantly reduced compared with etodolac administration (22.2 ± 20.5 % vs. 3.4 ± 8.9 %, P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: These finding suggests that diclofenac sodium (P = 0.022), but not etodolac (P = 0.474), affects renal hemodynamics even in healthy subjects.