Celecoxib and fish oil: a combination strategy for decreased inflammatory mediators in early stages of experimental mammary cancer

Chronic inflammation has been directly linked to cancer progression. Therefore, current study was designed to understand the mechanism of action of chemo-preventive effect of celecoxib and fish oil on inflammatory mediators in experimental mammary carcinoma. Female Wistar rats were distributed into control and DMBA treated groups and further subdivided based on pretreatment with celecoxib and/or fish oil. Inflammation was measured by assessing expression of NF-κB, COX-2 and cytokines. The results indicated an elevation in expression of NF-κB, COX-2 and cytokines’ levels (IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10) in DMBA group as compared to controls. On pretreatment with celecoxib and/or fish oil in DMBA treated animals, a significant reduction in expression of NF-κB, COX-2 and cytokines’ levels was observed. The decrease was more pronounced with combinatorial regimen than either celecoxib or fish oil alone. To conclude, a combinatorial strategy of celecoxib and fish oil may generate an immune response against the tumor cell by altering cytokine repertoire and decrease the tendency of tumor cells to escape immune surveillance.