Aspirin....Here we go

Been busy this week with my job receiving clinical trial samples. I'll try and keep this as short and to the point as possible. And to explain the science too.

THE inflammatory response to invading organisms (or any other thing the body deems foreign) is divided into three phases: acute inflammation, the immune response, and chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation is the response to tissue injury [a bruise that turns yellow] and usually preceeds the immune response. The immune response occurs when immune cells [white blood cells] are turned on [activated] in response to foreign organisms or antigenic substances [things the body doesn't recognize]. This results in immune cells release small protein substances called cytokines that act as messengers or centuries that can cry "HELLO, WE NEED SOME HELP HERE, WE NEED TO KICK SOME BUTT BODY".

So where does aspirin come in? Among those messengers mentioned above and the pathways that make them in your body, one is termed cyclooxygenase that is involved in inflammation.
There are two kinds [isoforms] of this messenger called COX-1 and COX-2. COX-2 has been shown to be a facilitator [starter] of the inflammatory response and heavy research has been done to develop inhibitors of this pathway to stop inflammation.

Aspirin was the standard against which all anti-inflammatory agents were measured. It belongs to a class of drugs termed salicylates [the chemical structure]. Aspirin is a nonselective inhibitor of the aforementioned COX family, and is an irreversible inhibitor [it's done COX until new protein is made]. It also inhibits immune cells from going to areas of inflammation and from the body releasing damaging chemicals that harm blood vessels and stop cells from crawling into places the normally be.

These effects are seen in the fever reducing properties and blood thinning actions as well. It's anagesial effects [pain relief] are noted as well through the same pathway.

This was an abbreviated mechanism of action: if you want more details leave a comment and i'll get back to you ASAP. I hope this was useful.