Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA after global ischemia is regulated by AMPA receptors and glucocorticoids.

Background And Purpose: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is implicated in ischemic neuronal death. In focal ischemia, its mRNA induction is mediated through N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors and phospholipase A(2). Because mechanisms of neuronal death involving COX-2 in global ischemia are unclear, we studied the time course and regulation of COX-2 expression in rat brain global ischemia.