Application Of Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Research Articles

Corneal Wound Healing Strength with Topical Antiinflammatory Drugs

The objective of this study was to compare the force required to separate corneal wounds after topical applications of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or corticosteroids. Bilateral central 8-mm long corneal full-thickness incisions in 50 NZW rabbits were closed with five interrupted 10-0 nylon sutures. There were four paired-eye groups: (a) control/control, (b) control/diclofenac sodium (0.1%), (c) control/flurbiprofen sodium (0.03%), and (d) control/prednisolone acetate (1%) treated six times per day for 7 or 21 days. The wound strength was measured by determining the force necessary to separate the incision along its length. The eyes did not differ statistically from their contralateral eye for each group except control/diclofenac (7.98 g/12.32 g) and control/flurbiprofen (6.96 g/11.67 g) at 21 days. The strongest scars occurred after treatment with diclofenac and flurbiprofen, which were similar (p = 0.74). The weakest wounds for each time period were with prednisolone (1.74 g/3.21 g). The diclofenac and flurbiprofen were stronger than prednisolone-treated eyes at 7 days (p = 0.028 and p = 0.023, respectively) and at 21 days (p < 0.001). The bilateral controls were stronger than the prednisolone controls (p = 0.008 at 7 days and p = 0.001 at 21 days). Steroid treatment caused weaker corneal wound scars than did the NSAIDs. Unilateral steroid treatment adversely affected their untreated contralateral eyes. The NSAID-treated wounds were the strongest and stronger than their contralateral control eyes.

Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit non-immunologic immediate contact reactions.

The effects of 3 topical applications of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), diclofenac 1%, naproxene 10% and salicylic acid 5% in gel vehicles, on immediate contact reactions to 500 mM benzoic acid, 500 mM cinnamic aldehyde, 50 mM methyl nicotinate, all in pet., and 14.1 M (100%) dimethyl sulfoxide, were studied in 16 medical students. Erythema and edema reactions were observed visually, and the changes in the skin blood flow were monitored using laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF). NSAIDs had significant inhibitory effects on erythema induced by all 4 substances tested and on edema induced by methyl nicotinate. The inhibition was probably due in part to percutaneous absorption and systemic effects of NSAIDs. There were differences between visual and LDF assessments, which stresses the importance of monitoring erythematous reactions of the skin both visually and with LDF.

Topical application of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs prevents vehicle-induced improvement of psoriasis

In a double-blind fashion, we compared the effect of topical application of 1% indomethacin cream or 1% meclofenamate cream with the effect of vehicle therapy alone in thirty patients with psoriasis. After 4 weeks' treatment of bilaterally symmetric psoriatic plaques, the indomethacin-treated sides were worse than the vehicle-treated sides in fourteen of twenty patients (p less than 0.01); the meclofenamate-treated sides were worse than the vehicle-treated sides in seven of ten patients (p less than 0.05). We suspect that the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs contributed to the maintenance of our patients' psoriasis by altering the arachidonic acid transformation cascade.