SPR L2 Inflammation, NSAIDS and DMARDS Flashcards
SPR L2 Inflammation and NSAIDS and DMARDS
Learning Outcomes
for general perusal
- Understand what NSAIDs are and their mechanism of action
- Appreciate the different roles of COX-1 versus COX-2 inhibition
- Be able to list the main medical uses of NSAIDs with examples
- Be familiar with the potential side-effects/contraindications of NSAIDs
- be able to describe DMARDs, giving three examples and their MOA
- have sufficient information on NSAIDs/DMARDs/Steroids to understand clinical cases presented in the Tutorials
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
- Generally describe this class of drug
- What are they used to treat?
- However, what is seen with this class of drug?
- Very widely used, aspirin-like drugs, greater than 50 NSAIDS on the market - diverse range
- a range of conditions such as inflammation, fever, pain, muscle injury, sprains, fractures etc.
- significant side-effects
Give examples of Important NSAIDs commonly in use in medicine
- aspirin
- ibuprofen
- Naproxen (Alleve)
- Indomethacin - powerful NSAID with wide ranging use/side-effects
- Diclofenac
- Paracetamol
What is the mechanism of action of NSAIDs?
NSAIDs work by inhibition the action of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, lowering levels of prostaglandins e.g. PGE2, PGI2
2 main isoforms: COX-1 and COX-2
Mechanism of Action of NSAIDS
What do prostaglandins cause?
- vasodilation
- oedema
- pain (increasing Bradykinin-mediated nociception)
Cyclooxygenase (COX) Enzymes
- What are the two main isoforms?
- What action do these enzymes have?
- Where is COX-1 expressed?
- What does it do?
- Prostaglandins produced by COX-1 are involved in what?
- Where is COX-2 expressed, what is it?
- COX-1 (constitutively active) and COX-2 (inducible)
- use arachidonic acid to generate PGs and TXA2
- expressed in most tissues including platelets
- general “housekeeping” COX enzyme
- a) protection of gastric mucosa
b) platelet aggregation
c) renal blood flow autoregulation
- expressed in activated inflammatory cells e.g. basophils, eosinophils, inducible form of enzyme
Cyclooxygenase Enzymes
- COX-1 and COX-2 have approximately __% sequence identity?
- What similar ability do both have?
- What defines their different roles/side-effects?
- What are most NSAIDs?
- 60%
- ability to induce arachidonic acid oxidation
- differences in COX tissue expression
- non-selective between COX-1 versus COX-2
NSAIDs work by inhibiting COX-1 and COX-2
General Rule of Thumb
- What do the majority of anti-inflammatory effects of NSAIDs occur via?
- What do most side-effects of NSAIDs occur via?
- COX-2 inhibition
- COX-1 inhibition
Main Pharmacological Actions of NSAIDs
- What are these?
- What are the main side-effects?
- anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-pyretic
- gastric irritation, compromised renal blood flow, increased bleeding, increase risk of MI (COX-2).
Effects and side-effects arise from the primary action of the NSAIDs in different tissues
Main Pharmacological Actions of NSAIDs
1. Anti-inflammatory
- How does this come about?
- What is this clinically useful in?
- NSAID inhibition of COX-2 predominantly
- Inflammatory arthritis Dental pain Oro-facial pain Post operative pain Bone metastases in cancer
NOTE: NSAIDs have no effect on the disease causing the inflammation e.g. RA
Main Pharmacological Actions of NSAIDs
2. Analgesic (for mild/moderate pain due to inflammation or tissue damage)
- What is the mechanism for this action?
- What are they effective in?
- How do they help headaches?
- How are they useful in surgery?
- decreased Prostaglandins, reduced sensitization of Bradykinin nociception
- Effective in arthritis, muscle pain, toothache, dysmenorrhea, postpartum pain, cancer metastasis in bone pain
- NSAIDs reduce PG-induced vasodilation in brain
- reduce postoperative pain, reduce the amount of opioids needed by up to 30 %
Main Pharmacological Actions of NSAIDs
3. Anti-pyretic
- How is this brought about?
- How?
- Outline the pathological pyretic response that brings about a fever?
- decreased PG production in the hypothalamus. “NSAIDs reset the body’s thermostat” (paracetamol primarily used)
- vasodilation, sweating. NB - no effect on normal body temperature
- Bacteria => endotoxin => increased IL-1 from macrophages (pyrogen) => Increased PGE2 production in the hypothalamus via COX-2 action => fever
Other Clinical Uses of NSAIDs
- Outline the main clinical uses of NSAIDS
Give TWO other uses
- Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, Anti-pyretic
* Anti-platelet: Aspirin (COX-1 inhibition)- Stroke prevention
- MI prevention
- Unstable angina
- Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prevention
* Colon cancer prevention: low dose, long-term (5 years) aspirin may reduce the risk of colon and other GI cancers
Aspirin: Nature’s miracle drug
- What is it derived from?
- Aspirin is the only NSAID that…?
- Which does it inhibit?
- Which does it have more affinity for?
- Summarise the history of the drug
- the bark of the willow tree
- irreversibly inhibits COX
- Inhibits both COX-1 and COX-2
- but has a greater affinity for COX-1
- See picture
Side-effects of NSAIDS
high burden of side-effects with NSAIDs
- What are these side effects due to?
- What do common side effects include?
- due to the inhibition of COX activity and PG production in non-inflammatory tissues
- GI disturbances
- Adverse Renal Effects
- Rashes
- CNS effects
- Bone Marrow effects
- Aspirin sensitive asthma
- Liver toxicity (paracetamol)