[The effect of indomethacin and carprofen on gastric prostaglandin biosynthesis]

The effect of indometacin (3 X 50 mg daily), carprofen (Imadyl) (2 X 150 mg daily) and placebo (3 X daily) on gastric juice secretion, acidity, prostanoid concentration (PGE2, PGF2 alpha and TXB2) and excretion of the major urinary metabolite of PGF (PGF-MUM) were investigated in a single-blind cross-over study in nine healthy volunteers after 3-day treatment periods separated by one-week washout periods between treatments. Indometacin proved to be a classical cyclooxygenase inhibitor (strong inhibition of PGE2 and TXB2 before and after pentagastrin stimulation and of PGF-MUM) while carprofen was an atypical inhibitor (weak inhibition of PGE2 before pentagastrin stimulation and no inhibition after, strong inhibition of TXB2 but without influence on PGF-MUM). The weak inhibition of PGE2-biosynthesis by carprofen might be related to its low incidence of gastric side effects.