The Effect of a Prophylactic Dose of Ibuprofen on Plasma Level of Interleukin 1, Interleukin 6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in a 1500 m Running Practice

Problem statement: there are controversies about the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs on exercised induced changes on plasma cytokines in untrained male athletes, so the primary purpose of this study was to measure the influence of a prophylactic dose of ibuprofen use on plasma cytokines during a 1500 m running race. Approach: Subjects were 10 untrained male Medical University students who consumed 400 mg ibuprofen two hours before the 1500 m running practice and 10 controls that competed in the race but avoided ibuprofen and all other medications. Blood samples were collected before, 1h and 24 h following the 1500 m exercise bout to measure plasma concentrations of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β ), interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- α ). Results: There were not any significant differences between plasma concentration of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF- α during the study period. Also the data showed that there were not any significant differences between plasma level of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF- α in ibuprofen and control group during the study period. Conclusions/Recommendation: Our result showed that a prophylactic dose of ibuprofen did not affect acute inflammatory cytokines levels (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF- α) in untrained healthy young males. So the etiology of the muscle soreness in athletes actively participating in sport races seems to be independent of inflammatory processes.