Investigation of neuroprotective effects of cyclooxygenase inhibitors in the 6-hydroxydopamine induced rat Parkinson model.

AIM: Recent experimental and clinical studies on Parkinson's disease point out the pivotal role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration and the possible positive effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapies. Our aim in this study was to investigate the preventive effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) induced rat model of Parkinson's disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-one female Wistar-Albino rats (200-250g) were used in this study. The rats were divided in three groups: Saline group (n: 7, 2 ml), Acetylsalicylic acid group (n: 7, 100 mg/kg), and Meloxicam group (n: 7, 50 mg/kg). An hour after administration, the rats received a unilateral intranigral injection of 6-OHDA to produce the Parkinson model lesion. Rotational tests were performed two weeks later as follow-up. Immunohistochemical tests were performed in all groups to determine the severity of the lesion in the substantia nigra. RESULTS: Administration of drugs an hour before the lesions were created did not protect the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. CONCLUSION: Oral usage of low repeated doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may possibly slow down the progression of the disease.