Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Gamma Participates In Nimesulide-Induced Hepatic Damage

Objective To evaluate the participation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway in the liver damage caused by nimesulide.Methods Liver damage been induced by nimesulide. Mice were treated with either 2% dimethyl sulfoxide or AS605240, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase gamma pathway antagonist. Blood samples were collected for function assays of liver. The liver was removed for analysis of liver weight/animal weight ratio, histopathological parameters, oxidative and nitrous stress, cytokine levels, and the immunostaining for cyclooxygenase 2 and nuclear factor kappa B.Key findings Liver injured by nimesulide and treated with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase gamma inhibitor significantly reversed (P < 0.05) the damage; it decreased the liver weight/animal weight ratio, histopathological scores, and neutrophil infiltration, consequently reducing oxidative stress. In addition, we show that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase gamma is associated with hepatic damage induced by nimesulide, because it altered liver function and increased the protein immunostaining of cyclooxygenase 2 and nuclear factor kappa B in the liver tissue of nimesulide-treated animals.Conclusions The findings from the present study allows us to infer that nimesulide causes liver damage through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase gamma pathway.