Ibuprofen  is a chemical compound, a monocarboxylic acid derived from propionic acid.

It occurs as a colourless liquid with a strong rancid smell.

What it is for and where

Take only under medical supervision

Medical

It is used as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects and a derivative of propionic acid. also has an important function as a cycloxygenase inhibitor. 

Ibuprofen and paracetamol are the most commonly used drugs against fever and pain management although the results of this study reveal that ibuprofen is more effective in the infant population both in reducing pain and lowering fever (1).

this drug has a protective action on neurons against glutamate toxicity and develops a neuroprotective action by lowering the level of production of inflammatory cytokines. This mechanism helps to reduce inflammation in the brain and is a new approach to treating cognitive decline diseases such as Alzheimer's (2)and Parkinson. In this regard, Wallenquist and others (3) have shown that ibuprofen has attenuated the inflammatory response induced by traumatic brain injury.

During the COVID-19, due to media coverage, the rumor had spread that ibuprofen acting on the angiotensin receptor could somehow facilitate the entry of the coronavirus that uses this very route of entry. The French Health Minister Oliver Veran had suggested using paracetamol instead of ibuprofen. However, the scientific literature has no reason to confirm this thesis, which derives from mechanistic and theoretical pharmacology (4).

Metoclopramide and ibuprofen may be effective alternative treatment options in high altitude headache and acute mountain sickness, especially for those patients who also report nausea (5).

Like all drugs it can cause side effects. Always ask the physician.

Ibuprofen insights

Typical optimal characteristics of the commercial product Ibuprofen

Appearance	Transparent liquid
Assay	99.0%~101.0% (anhydrous substance)
Density	1.0±0.1 g/cm3
Melting Point	75-78 °C(lit.)
Boiling Point	319.6±11.0 °C at 760 mmHg   157.0°C (4.0 mmHg)
Flash Point	216.7±14.4 °C
PSA	37.30000
Heavy metals	≤10 ppm
Water	≤1.0%
Sulphated ash	≤0.5%/1g
LogP	3.72
Vapor Pressure	0.0±0.7 mmHg at 25°C
Index of Refraction	1.519
Storage	-20°C
Safety

• Molecular Formula: C₁₃H₁₈O₂
• Molecular Weight: 206.28 g/mol
• CAS: 15687-27-1
• UNII: WK2XYI10QM
• EC Number: 239-784-6
• DSSTox Substance ID: DTXSID5020732
• MDL number MFCD00010393  
• PubChem Substance ID  329750144
• InChI=1S/C13H18O2/c1-9(2)8-11-4-6-12(7-5-11)10(3)13(14)15/h4-7,9-10H,8H2,1-3H3,(H,14,15) 
• HEFNNWSXXWATRW-UHFFFAOYSA-N     
• SMILES    CC(C)CC1=CC=C(C=C1)C(C)C(=O)O
• IUPAC   2-[4-(2-methylpropyl)phenyl]propanoic acid
• ChEBI 

Synonyms:

• Motrin
• Brufen
• Nuprin
• Ibumetin
• Rufen
• Salprofen
• 2-[4-(2-methylpropyl)phenyl]propanoic acid
• 4-Isobutylhydratropic acid
• Betaprofen
• p-Isobutylhydratropic acid

 References______________________________________________________

(1) Pierce, C. A., & Voss, B. (2010). Efficacy and Safety of Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen in Children and Adults: A Meta-Analysis and Qualitative Review. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 44(3), 489–506. https://doi.org/10.1345/aph.1M332

(2) Dokmeci D. Ibuprofen and Alzheimer's disease. Folia Med (Plovdiv). 2004;46(2):5–10.

(3) Wallenquist, U., Holmqvist, K., Hnell, A., Marklund, N., Hillered, L., Forsberg-Nilsson, K. Ibuprofen attenuates the inflammatory response and allows formation of migratory neuroblasts from grafted stem cells after traumatic brain injury  Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience Volume 30, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 9-19

(4) Sodhi M, Etminan M. Safety of Ibuprofen in Patients With COVID-19: Causal or Confounded? [published online ahead of print, 2020 Mar 31]. Chest. 2020;S0012-3692(20)30572-9. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2020.03.040

Day M. Covid-19: European drugs agency to review safety of ibuprofen. BMJ. 2020;368:m1168. Published 2020 Mar 23. doi:10.1136/bmj.m1168

(5) Irons HR, Salas RN, Bhai SF, Gregorie WD, Harris NS. Prospective Double-Blinded Randomized Field-Based Clinical Trial of Metoclopramide and Ibuprofen for the Treatment of High Altitude Headache and Acute Mountain Sickness. Wilderness Environ Med. 2020;31(1):38–43. doi:10.1016/j.wem.2019.11.005