Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death Associated With the Use of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) Among Healthy Individuals: A Nationwi

Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2008 Nov 5;

Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death Associated With the Use of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) Among Healthy Individuals: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Fosbol E, Gislason G, Jacobsen S, Folke F, Hansen M, Schramm T, Sorensen R, Rasmussen J, Andersen S, Abildstrom S, Traerup J, Poulsen H, Rasmussen S, Kober L, Torp-Pedersen C. 1Department of Cardiology, Gentofte University Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark.

Use of some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in several patient groups, but whether this excess risk exists in apparently healthy individuals has not been clarified. Using a historical cohort design, we estimated the risk of death and myocardial infarction associated with the use of NSAIDs. Participants in the study were selected from the Danish population and were defined as healthy according to a history of no hospital admissions and no concomitant selected pharmacotherapy.
The source population consisted of 4,614,807 individuals, of whom 1,028,437 were included in the study after applying selection criteria. Compared to no NSAID use, hazard ratios (95% confidence limits) for death/myocardial infarction were 1.01 (0.96-1.07) for ibuprofen, 1.63 (1.52-1.76) for diclofenac, 0.97 (0.83-1.12) for naproxen, 2.13 (1.89-2.41) for rofecoxib, and 2.01 (1.78-2.27) for celecoxib. A dose-dependent increase in cardiovascular risk was seen for selective COX-2 inhibitors and diclofenac. Caution should be exercised in NSAID use in all individuals, and particularly high doses should be avoided if possible.
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2008); advance online publication 5 November 2008. doi:10.1038/clpt.2008.204.

NO-sulindac inhibits the hypoxia response of PC-3 prostate cancer cells via the AKt signalling pathway.

Int J Cancer. 2008 Oct 15

NO-sulindac inhibits the hypoxia response of PC-3 prostate cancer cells via the AKt signalling pathway.

Stewart GD, Nanda J, Brown DJ, Riddick AC, Ross JA, Habib FK. Prostate Research Group, Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Nitric oxide-donating non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are safer than traditional NSAIDs and inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells with greater potency than NSAIDs. In vivo, prostate cancer deposits are found in a hypoxic environment which induces resistance to chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to assess the effects and mechanism of action of a NO-NSAID called NO-sulindac on the PC-3 prostate cancer cell line under hypoxic conditions. NO-sulindac was found to have pro-apoptotic, cytotoxic, and anti-invasive effect on PC-3 cells under normoxia and hypoxia. NO-sulindac was significantly more cytotoxic than sulindac at all oxygen levels. The sulindac/linker and NO-releasing subunits both contributed to the cytotoxic effects of NO-sulindac. Resistance of PC-3 cells to NO-sulindac was induced as the oxygen concentration declined. Hypoxia-induced chemoresistance was reversed by knocking-down hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) mRNA using RNAi. Nuclear HIF-1alpha levels were upregulated at 0.2% oxygen but reduced by treatment with NO-sulindac, as was Akt phosphorylation. NO-sulindac treatment of hypoxic PC-3 cells transfected with a reporter construct, downregulated activation of the hypoxia response element (HRE) promoter. Co-transfection of PC-3 cells with the HRE promoter reporter construct and myr-Akt (constitutively active Akt) plasmids reversed the NO-sulindac induced reduction in HRE activation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of hypoxic, NO-sulindac treated PC-3 cells showed downregulation of lysyl oxidase and carbonic anhydrase IX mRNA expression. Collectively, these novel findings demonstrate that NO-sulindac directly inhibits the hypoxia response of PC-3 prostate cancer cells by inhibiting HIF-1alpha translation via the Akt signalling pathway. The ability of NO-sulindac to inhibit tumour adaption to hypoxia has considerable relevance to the future management of prostate cancer with the same cellular properties as PC-3.