The role of cyclooxygenase 2 in the cognitive impairment induced by alcohol or stress in rats

Cognitive impairment is an unpleasant and progressive mental disorder characterized by learning and memory disabilities. Stress and alcohol are two known environmental factors that increase cognitive impairment. This study was designed to evaluate the relative role of cyclooxygenase 2 in alcohol or stress‑induced cognitive impairment.

Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into groups with six rats in each. The groups included sham, control, alcohol (15% ethanol in drinking water), and restraint stress (restraint 6 h per day). Three separated groups received celecoxib at a dose of 20 mg/kg in addition to those listed above. The treatments continued daily for 28 days. The object recognition task (ORT) and Morris water maze (MWM) are used to evaluate the learning and memory.

Alcohol or restrain stress significantly increased the time and distance needed to find the hidden platform in MWM. Furthermore, they decreased the recognition index in ORT compared to the control group. Administration of celecoxib significantly decreased the required time and traveled distance to reach the platform in alcohol‑treated animals but not in the stress‑exposed rats. Celecoxib also significantly increased the recognition index both in alcohol‑ or restraint stress‑exposed animals.

We found that either alcohol or restraint stress impairs memory in rats. In MWM, celecoxib improved the alcohol‑induced memory impairment but could not show a reduction in memory deterioration due to restraint stress. In ORT, celecoxib reversed memory impairment due to both alcohol and restraint stress.