COX-2 Inhibition Decreases VEGF Expression and Alveolar Bone Loss During the Progression of Experimental Periodontitis in Rats

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a macromolecule of importance in inflammation that has been implicated in periodontitis. The aims of this study were to investigate VEGF expression during the progression of periodontal disease and to evaluate the effect of a preferential cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor meloxicam on VEGF expression and alveolar bone loss in experimentally induced periodontitis. Methods: A total of 120 Wistar rats were randomly separated into groups 1 (control) and 2 (meloxicam, 3mg/kg/day,intraperitoneally,for3,7,14,or30days).Silkligatureswereplacedatthegingivalmarginlevel of the lower right first molar of all rats. VEGF expression was assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot (WB), and immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses. The hemiarcades wereprocessedforhistopathologicanalysis.RT-PCRandWBresultsweresubmittedtoanalysisofvariance, the Tukey test, and Pearson correlation analysis (P