selective COX-2 inhibitor Etoricoxib reduces acute inflammatory markers in a model of neurogenic laryngitis but loses its efficacy with prolonged treatment

Objective A randomised experimental study was used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor in neurogenic laryngitis. Materials and methods Male Wistar Han rats were subjected to the nasogastric intubation model (NGI) of laryngitis for 1 and 2 weeks. The NGI animals were divided into three groups: (1) treated with COX-2 inhibitor Etoricoxib, (2) vehicle and (3) non-intubated animals. A fourth group of animals was submitted to NGI only. Laryngeal sections were immunostained for substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) fibre-immunoreactivity (IR) and quantification of COX-2 positive cells through stereological analysis. The expression of COX-2, interleukins IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was determined by quantitative real time QRT-PCR. Treatment Etoricoxib (6 mg/kg/day) was prepared in 0.9% sterile saline with 5% glucose (vehicle) and administered daily during 1 or 2 weeks. Results Treatment for 1 week with Etoricoxib attenuated the CGRP-IR fibre depletion, the COX-2-IR increased cell number and the TNF-α and COX-2 mRNA increased levels induced by NGI. Two weeks of treatment had no beneficial effect. Conclusions Etoricoxib is effective in neurogenic laryngitis for limited periods of administration, indicating that selective COX-2 inhibitors should be evaluated in the future.