Liver damage has generally been thought of as a rare side effect of taking ibuprofen, a common pain medication available over the counter in many countries. New research is now indicating that the effects of ibuprofen on the liver may be more common and extensive than previously suspected.
Conducted by researchers at the University of California, a recent mouse study investigated the effects of moderate ibuprofen dosage on the liver. Using advanced mass spectrometry, the researchers determined that ibuprofen caused many more protein expression changes in the liver than expected. What was even more surprising is that the changes differed depending on the sex of the mice.
In males, changes were observed in 34 metabolic pathways, perhaps most crucially in those regulating the release of hydrogen peroxide which can damage the liver cells when poorly regulated.
In females however, increased activity of some cytochrome P450s was observed, significant because of these enzymes’ role in breaking down drugs.
Study co-author Aldrin Gomes said of this finding, “The [observations about] cytochrome P450 could mean that other drugs taken with ibuprofen could stay in the body for a longer duration in males, and this has never been shown before”.
Based on the study results, the authors recommend using only the minimum dosage of ibuprofen, or refraining from use if symptoms are mild.
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Source: Medical News Today
