Celecoxib alleviates traumatic myositis ossificans by inhibiting bone morphogenetic protein-4 in rats

Background: Bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) is one of the important molecules regulating the formation and differentiation of bone tissue. It is the main active medium to induce ectopic ossification, and is mainly involved in bone growth and repair of wounds. Methods: To investigate the expression and significance of BMP-4 in rat model of traumatic myositis ossificans (TMO), 60 SD rats aged 4-6 weeks were randomly divided into control group, model group and celecoxib group, and TMO model was established at the right Achilles tendon. Each rat in the celecoxib group was intragastrically administered with 10 mg of celecoxib per kilogram per day. Each rat in the other group was intragastrically administered with 2 mL of physiological saline per day. At the 5th week and the 10th week after operation, 30 rats were killed. X-ray film was used to examine the formation of new bone, and skin temperature of the affected side was measured before execution. BMP-4 protein and mRNA level, and IL-2 mRNA level in the Achilles tendon tissues were detected by western blotting and RT-qPCR. Before execution, 2 mL of venous blood was taken from rats, and the level of IL-2 in serum was detected by ELISA. Results: The results showed that compared with the model group, in the celecoxib group, the swelling of the affected side was significantly alleviated, the overall formation rate was slower, the osteogenesis time was later, the ossification degree was lighter, the BMP-4 mRNA and protein levels in the Achilles tendon tissues of the affected side were significantly lower, and the IL-2 content in the blood and the mRNA of IL-2 in the tissues were significantly lower. Conclusions: In conclusion, celecoxib can effectively alleviate the occurrence of TMO after Achilles tendon surgery in rats by inhibiting BMP-4 and IL-2 expression.