“… 1 , 2 In cancer treatment, COX-2 inhibition is described to increase apoptosis by several potential mechanisms, including increased expression of death signals like ceramide and downregulating the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Akt. 37 Although little is known about the relation of COX-2 inhibition and apoptosis in growth plate development, 38 , 39 increased apoptosis may offer an explanation for the observed decrease in cell number seen in the hypertrophic zone of the growth plate of COX-2 knockout and celecoxib-treated mice.…”