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Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, usually abbreviated to NSAIDs or NAIDs , are drugs with analgesic, antipyretic and, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory effects - they reduce pain, fever and inflammation.
Most NSAIDs act as nonselective inhibitors of the enzyme cyclooxygenase, inhibiting both the cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) isoenzymes. Cyclooxygenase catalyzes the formation of prostaglandins and thromboxane from arachidonic acid . Prostaglandins are short-lived substances made from fatty acids that play a role in many body functions. They influence pain signals, regulation of inflammation, maintenance of tissues such as the lining of the stomach, blood clotting and stimulation of cells into action.
In whole the NSAIDs prevent the prostaglandins from ever being synthesized, therefore reducing or eliminating the pain.
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