COX-2 is produced in macrophages and endothelial cells in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharides and pro-inflammatory cytokines and may be related to the edema and vasodilatation associated with inflammation.
PGE2 is produced from arachidonic acid metabolites by the catalysis of COX-2 (Lee et al., 2000).
Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is a transcription factor that consists of p50 and p65 (Rel family) and exists in the cytosol bound to the inhibitory protein IκB.
This NF-κB complex acts through distinct signaling pathways that finally lead to the activation of IκB kinase (IKK).
IKK initiates IκB phosphorylation at specific amino-terminal serine residues and is activated in response to cell stimulation by TNF-α, IL-1β, and LPS (Marks-Konczalik et al., 1998).
Since a lot of signaling components are involved in NF-κB signaling pathway by regulating genes encoding inflammation-related molecules such as iNOS and COX-2 (Lee et al., 2004), it is also important in inflammatory diseases under stimulated conditions.
Thus, pharmacological reduction in the levels of LPS-inducible inflammatory mediators is one of the necessary conditions to alleviate diverse disorders caused by activation of macrophages (Majdalawieh and Ro, 2010).