COX‐2 and Neurodegeneration in Parkinson's Disease

A bstract : Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Recent observations link cyclooxygenase type‐2 (COX‐2) to the progression of the disease. Consistent with this notion, studies with the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) show that inhibition and ablation of COX‐2 markedly reduce the deleterious effects of this toxin on the nigrostriatal pathway. The similarity between this experimental model and PD strongly supports the possibility that COX‐2 expression is also pathogenic in PD.