Ibuprofen is one of the most common over-the-counter medications used to relieve pain and reduce fever. It belongs to a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
While many people know that ibuprofen can increase the risk of heart issues or stroke when used too much, its effects on the liver haven’t been as well understood—until now.
Researchers at the University of California Davis have uncovered new information suggesting that ibuprofen could have a bigger impact on the liver than previously thought. More importantly, this impact seems to differ between males and females.
What the Study Found
In this study, scientists gave a moderate dose of ibuprofen to mice over the course of a week. The amount they used was similar to what a human adult would take if they took about 400 mg of ibuprofen each day, which is a common dose for pain relief.
To analyze what was happening in the liver, they used a technique called mass spectrometry. This method allowed them to look closely at how the liver cells of the mice were reacting to the drug.
The results were surprising. The ibuprofen caused changes in many more metabolic processes in the liver than the researchers expected. They found that at least 34 different metabolic pathways in male mice were affected by the drug.
These pathways are responsible for handling amino acids, hormones, and vitamins. They also help manage the production of reactive oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, substances that can damage cells when present in high amounts.
But here’s where it gets even more interesting: the effects of ibuprofen were different between males and females. For instance, the proteasome—a part of the cell that helps get rid of waste proteins—responded in opposite ways in male and female mice.
This means that males and females may process the drug differently, leading to different impacts on the liver.
One significant takeaway is that other medications taken with ibuprofen might stay in the body longer in males than in females, due to these differences in how the liver processes the drug.
This finding had not been clearly demonstrated before and could have important implications for how ibuprofen and other drugs are prescribed.
What This Means for Pain Relief and Drug Use
The researchers behind this study stress that while ibuprofen is a helpful drug for managing pain, it is often overused. They recommend that it should not be taken for mild pain unless absolutely necessary.
Another important point is the difference in how males and females metabolize drugs. Many drugs, including ibuprofen, may affect men and women in different ways, which is something doctors and researchers need to take into account when prescribing medications.
In the long run, these findings suggest that a more personalized approach to drug use could be beneficial. By understanding how drugs like ibuprofen impact men and women differently, doctors can make better decisions about which treatments are most effective for individual patients.
If you’re interested in pain management beyond ibuprofen, there are other alternatives worth exploring. For example, some studies show that certain diets can help reduce nerve pain in people with diabetes.
There’s also a Native American plant medicine that has been found to be effective for treating pain and diarrhea. Additionally, researchers have uncovered valuable information about how over-the-counter painkillers might affect blood pressure and what to watch out for.
This important research, led by Professor Aldrin Gomes and his team, was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
It highlights the need for more careful consideration of how commonly used drugs affect different people and opens the door for further research into personalized medicine.
By accounting for these differences, we could improve pain management and ensure that medications are as safe and effective as possible for everyone.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about a diet that can treat fatty liver disease and obesity, and coffee drinkers may halve their risk of liver cancer.
For more information about liver health, please see recent studies that anti-inflammatory diet could help prevent fatty liver disease, and results showing vitamin D could help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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