Medical University, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Interfaculty Chair of General and Clinical Pharmacology , Lodz , Poland.
Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2014 Jun;13(6):687-90. doi: 10.1517/14740338.2014.915939. Epub 2014 Apr 30.
The anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic and antithrombotic activities of aspirin confer its wide therapeutic application. The three former activities require higher doses of aspirin, whereas the latter can be achieved through a lower, thus safer dose of the drug. Low-dose, long-term aspirin is used as an antithrombotic therapy to prevent cardiovascular disease. Such therapy is used by millions of people worldwide, including those suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD); thus, questions have arisen as to whether such treatment has any impact on the development and course of AMD. This editorial addresses the important issue of possible beneficial and adverse effects of long-term, low-dose aspirin treatment of AMD patients. Special emphasis is given to the ability of aspirin to acetylate cyclooxygenases (especially COX-2) and thus to initiate a biochemical pathway leading to the generation of anti-inflammatory pro-resolving mediators synthesized from both ω-3 and ω-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Such mediators (e.g., resolvins, lipoxins) may be of therapeutic value in retarding the development of dry form AMD.
阿司匹林具有抗炎、镇痛、解热和抗血栓形成作用,这使其具有广泛的治疗应用。前三种活性需要更高剂量的阿司匹林,而后者可以通过较低、因此更安全的药物剂量来实现。小剂量、长期使用阿司匹林作为抗血栓治疗,以预防心血管疾病。全世界有数百万人使用这种疗法,包括那些患有年龄相关性黄斑变性(AMD)的人;因此,人们开始质疑这种治疗是否会对 AMD 的发展和病程产生任何影响。本社论探讨了长期低剂量阿司匹林治疗 AMD 患者可能产生的有益和不利影响这一重要问题。特别强调了阿司匹林能够乙酰化环氧化酶(尤其是 COX-2),从而启动生化途径,导致从 ω-3 和 ω-6 长链多不饱和脂肪酸合成抗炎、促解决的介质。这些介质(如 resolvins、lipoxins)可能具有治疗干性 AMD 的价值。