Activated macrophages
releaseNO, a toxic radical that causes cellular alterations,
including mutations in DNA, cell apoptosis, and necrosis, that
lead to diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis (1). A large
amount of NO is produced in response to lipopolysaccharide
(LPS), which plays an important role in inflammatory conditions
(2). Levy et al. (3) indicated that inducible nitric oxide
synthase (iNOS) is highly expressed in LPS-stimulated macrophages
and plays a role in the development of inflammation.
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is thought to be the predominant
cyclooxygenase involved in inflammatory responses (4). Cyclooxygenase
converts arachidonic acid into prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).
PGE2 is overexpressed during inflammation (5).