A review on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)

S. K. Mandal

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dr. B. C. Roy College of Pharmacy & AHS, Durgapur- 713206, India.

Corresponding author:

Mr. S. K. Mandal, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dr. B. C. Roy College of Pharmacy & AHS, Durgapur- 713206, India. E-mail: gotosudip@rediffmail.com, Tel.: +918670192100

ABSTRACT

NSAIDs constitute an important class of drugs with therapeutic applications that have spanned several centuries. Treatment of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) starting from the classic drug aspirin to the recent rise and fall of selective COX-2 inhibitors has provided an enthralling evolution. This review traces the origins of NSAIDs, their mechanism of action at the molecular level such as cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition, inflammatory Process, biosynthesis of prostanoids, COX isoforms, their structure, function and comparison, development of selective COX-2 inhibitors, adverse gastrointestinal effects of NSAIDs. The presence of COX-3 is discussed. A little history of the market withdrawal of selective COX-2 inhibitors is explained. The last section describes briefly some of the recent advances toward developing effective anti-inflammatory agents such as nitric oxide donor NO-NSAIDs, dual COX/LOX inhibitors and Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) Containing NSAIDs. In spite of the tremendous advances in the last decade, the design and development of a safe, effective and economical therapy for treating inflammatory conditions still presents a major challenge.

Keywords: Nonsteroidal, Inflammation, Prostaglandin Cyclooxygenase, Lipoxygenases.