Intrathecally administered COX-2 but not COX-1 or COX-3 inhibitors attenuate streptozotocin-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in rats.

Members of the cyclooxygenase (COX) family are known to catalyze the rate-limiting steps of prostaglandins synthesis and reported to be involved in neuropathic pain. Diabetic neuropathy is a type of neuropathic pain, though it is not clear if COX is relevant to the condition. Recently, spinal COX-2 protein was found to be increasing in streptozotocin-induced rats as compared to the constitutive expression.