Meloxicam Elevates Serum Concentration of Erythropoietin and Numbers of Bone Marrow Erythroid Progenitor Cells in Sublethally Gamma-Irradiated Mice

• Published in: Acta veterinaria Brno Vol. 78; no. 1; pp. 19 - 22
• Main Authors: Hofer, Michal, Pospíšil, Milan, Vacek, Antonín, Znojil, Vladimír, Holá, Jiřina, Štreitová, Denisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-03-2009
• ISSN: 0001-7213; 1801-7576
• DOI: 10.2754/avb200978010019

Meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug selectively inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2, has been found to enhance the regeneration of erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E) in the femoral bone marrow of mice when administered after sublethal irradiation (4 Gy gamma-rays). In mice treated with meloxicam once daily on days 3, 4, 5, and 6 after irradiation, the values of BFU-E per femur in meloxicam-treated mice were on days 7 and 14 after irradiation at the levels of 156 % and 191 %, respectively, related to those in irradiated saline-treated controls (
P
< 0.01 and
P
< 0.001, respectively). Moreover, it has been shown that these effects of meloxicam can be associated with its ability to stimulate erythropoietin production in irradiated mice. Six and 12 hours after one dose of meloxicam given on day 3 after irradiation, the serum level of erythropoietin was twofold higher in comparison with irradiated saline-treated controls (
P
< 0.05). These findings may have practical implications in the treatment of myelosuppression.