Lipidomics Screening of Celecoxib in ex Vivo Human Whole Blood Assay - Part B

Cardiovascular complications of NSAIDs, selective for inhibition of COX-2, stimulated interest in microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) as an alternative drug target. Global deletion of mPGES-1 in mice suppresses prostaglandin (PG) E2 and augments PGI2 by PGH2 substrate rediversion. Unlike COX-2 inhibition or gene deletion, mPGES-1 deletion does not cause a predisposition to thrombogenesis and hypertension. However, cell-specific deletion of mPGES-1 reveals that the predominant substrate rediversion product among the prostaglandins varies by cell type, complicating drug development. The research team has developed an ultra performance liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) technique that allows the quantification of a wide range of lipids beyond the prostaglandin pathway (leukotrienes, anandamide and the 2-arachidonylglycerol cascades). This study is designed to examine different pathway interventions from the arachidonic acid cascade by anti-inflammatory compounds (with a focus on mPGES-1 inhibition) in whole human blood in vitro (Part A) and ex vivo (Part B). In Part B, healthy volunteers will be asked to take a single, therapeutic dose of celecoxib and blood and urine samples will be collected before and after drug administration. Collected blood will be stimulated ex vivo, and lipids and their metabolites will be measured in blood and urine, respectively. The investigators expect that lipid profile from ex vivo hWBA done on celecoxib-treated subjects will recapitulate findings from the in vitro hWBA received with celecoxib-treated human blood (Part A).