Modulation of arachidonic acid metabolism in experimental arthritis induced by Salmonella enteritidis. I. Effect of ibuprofen and flurbiprofen on experimental arthritis induced by Salmonella enteritidis.

Oral administration of two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ibuprofen and flurbiprofen, can suppress the Salmonella-induced arthritis in rats. The joint swelling index of arthritic paws showed suppression of arthritis in animals treated with the drugs, this effect being greater with flurbiprofen. Measurement of 5 eicosanoids in femoral vein plasma showed increase of arachidonic acid products in Salmonella-treated rats. Inhibition of joint inflammation resulting from treatment with ibuprofen and flurbiprofen is reflected by a decrease in concentration of all 5 eicosanoids which were found in the order: PGE2 greater than TXB2 greater than 6-keto-PGF1 alpha greater than PGF1 greater than PGF2 alpha. These studies indicate that flurbiprofen is a more powerful anti-inflammatory agent than ibuprofen. However, since the joint disease was not completely cured, optimal intervention is quite likely to require modulation of the lipoxygenase pathway.