Oral administration of the anti-inflammatory substance triflusal results in the downregulation of constitutive transcription factor NF-kappa B in thepostnatal rat brain

In this study we have evaluated the in vivo ability of triflusal (2-acetoxy -4-tri-fluoramethylbenzoic acid) to inhibit constitutive nuclear factor-kap pa B (NF-kappa B) activation in the brain of postnatal rats. One week old L ong-Evans black hooded rat pups received three oral administrations of trif lusal (30 mg/kg) and were sacrificed at 9 days of age. After fixation, brai ns were cut in a cryostat and processed immunocytochemically for the demons tration of NF-kappa B. In control postnatal rats, NF-kappa B is constitutiv ely present in some neuronal populations and in glial cells of white matter tracts. In contrast, triflusal treated rats showed a drastic downregulatio n of neuronal and glial NF-kappa B, both in the number of labelled cells an d in the intensity of staining. The inhibition of NF-kappa B activation cou ld be an important step in the modulation of inflammatory processes occurri ng after several pathological conditions. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Sc ience Ireland.