BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Nitroparacetamol is a nitric oxide-releasing paracetamol with novel anti-inflammatory properties compared to the parent compound. This study has investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of nitroparacetamol in a model of endotoxaemia in rats to probe the mechanisms underlying this effect.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Nitroparacetamol (92 mg kg(-1)), paracetamol (50 mg kg(-1)) or vehicle were administered to male, Wistar rats 15 min prior to or 3 h after lipopolysaccharide (0.5 mg kg(-1), serotype 0127:B8). Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were measured for 5 h and plasma and organs were then obtained to determine organ dysfunction, inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression (lung, liver and kidney tissue) and plasma nitrate/nitrite. In separate experiments, nitroparacetamol, paracetamol or vehicle was administered 1 h before acetylcholine (0.1 microg kg(-1)) or sodium nitroprusside (0.25 microg kg(-1)) to determine if nitroparacetamol desensitizes responses to exogenous/endogenous nitric oxide.KEY RESULTS: Nitroparacetamol prevented but did not reverse the lipopolysaccharide-induced hypotension. There was no effect on heart rate or plasma markers of organ dysfunction. Nitroparacetamol prevented the increased plasma nitrate/nitrite and expression of COX-2 and iNOS, whereas paracetamol exerted partial inhibition of COX-2 in lung alone. Nitroparacetamol also reduced responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: NO is the active component of nitroparacetamol in this model of endotoxaemia. Pro-inflammatory processes targeted by nitroparacetamol have been shown to include iNOS/COX-2 induction and possibly vascular soluble guanylyl cyclase. Precise mechanisms underlying the NO effect are unclear but inhibition of cytokine formation may be important.
Acetaminophen Acetylcholine