Ibuprofen and aspirin, also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, are widely used for treating inflammation and pain.

However, a ScienceDaily report said that even at similar doses, different NSAIDs could produce unexpected and unexplained effects on many diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

Now, a new study has revealed a previously unknown process by which some NSAIDs are affecting the body.

The finding may demonstrate why similar NSAIDs produce a range of clinical results and could inform how the drugs are used in the future.

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Commonly Used Painkillers
(Photo: JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Commonly used painkillers are medicines based on Ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug. According to a study, Ibuprofen would increase the risk of heart attack by almost a quarter.

Effects of NSAIDs on Health

To date, the effects the anti-inflammatory impacts of NSAIDs were believed to occur only through the inhibition of specific enzymes. However, this mechanism does not account for many clinical results that vary across the family of drugs.

For instance, some NSAIDs prevent heart disease while others cause it. Moreover, specific NSAIDs have been associated with decreased occurrence of colorectal cancer, and various NSAIDs can greatly impact asthma.

 

Now employing cell cultures and mice, researchers at Yale University have revealed a unique mechanism by which a subset of NSAIDs lessen inflammation. More so, that mechanism may help elucidate some of these curious effects.

Drug Effects Caused by NRF2

Specifically, the study published in the Immunity journal showed that only some NSAIDs, which include indomethacin, which is used for treating gout and arthritis, and ibuprofen, also an active protein is known as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, or NRF2, which, among its numerous actions, stimulates anti-inflammatory processes in the body.

It is interesting, not to mention exciting, that NSAIDs have a different action mode than what was previously known, explained Yale School of Medicine instructor Anna Eisenstein, the study's lead author.

Moreover, since people use NSAIDs very often, it is essential to know what they are doing in the body. The study investigators cannot say that NRF2 causes the expected impacts of NSAIDs. Eisenstein said more research will be needed, although he thinks their findings "are suggested of that."

Dermatological Effects

The lead author is currently looking into some of the dermatological effects of the drugs, exacerbating hives, worsening allergies, and causing rashes.

Such a discovery still needs confirmation in humans, noted the research team. However, if it is, the findings could affect how inflammation is treated and how NSAIDs are used.

For example, many clinical trials assess if NRF2-activating drugs are effective in treating inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer's, asthma, and certain cancers. This study could inform the potential and limitations of the said drugs.

In addition, NSAIDs might be more effectively prescribed going forward, with NRF2-activating NSAIDS and non-NRF2-activating NSAIDs used for the diseases they are most possible to treat.

Related information about the effect of long-term use of painkillers is shown on WION's YouTube video below:

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