Toxic, Genotoxic and Teratogenic Effects of Ibuprofen and its Derivatives

Background Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are extensively used pharmaceuticals and tons of kilos are produced annually. Ibuprofen is one of the core medicines of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and is primarily used for reduced pain, fever and tissue inflammation. It is also available for the treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis, etc. It is still one of the most prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in contemporary times. Although ibuprofen is a drug that has been used for years, it is also known to have various serious toxic effects. Objective In this review, we aimed to clarify toxic and genotoxic effects of Ibuprofen by analyzing major journal indexes. Methods The search was concentrated on the Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, EBSCO Host, and Google Scholar databases, including the keyword combinations "genotoxicity", "toxicity", "teratogenicity", "side effects", "Ibuprofen". Results In the search procedure, a total number of 11738 studies about the topic were reviewed. Consequently, 42 studies were classified as appropriate according to the inclusion criteria and were therefore included in the review. The results presented and discussed in this review indicate that Ibuprofen might represent a toxic, genotoxic and teratogenic risk for non-target, freshwater invertebrates, vertebrates and toxic for human especially in overdose or misuse situation. Conclusion Ibuprofen generally was found to be toxic, mutagenic, teratogenic and genotoxic agent in various organisms. In human cases mostly overdose or misuse was found to be toxic. However acute toxicity was also reported in some human clinical studies. More detailed genotoxicity, teratogenicity and especially carcinogenic potential should be investigated to reach full decision of its safety.