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ARTICLE

Ibuprofen does not affect levels of tumor necrosis factor-a and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor types I and II in Gabonese children with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Pierre-Blaise Matsiegui^1,2, Michel A. Missinou^1,2, Saadou Issifou¹, Magdalena Necek^1,3, Elie Mavoungou^1,2

1 Medical Research Unit, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon
2 Department of Parasitology, Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
3 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, General Hospital of Vienna, Vienna, Austria Thanks to complete the date for publication

* Corresponding Author: E. Mavoungou,

European Cytokine Network 2007, 18(4), 23-27. https://doi.org/10.1684/ecn.2007.0105

Accepted 01 January 2007;

Abstract

We assessed the ability of ibuprofen to modulate tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type I (sTNFR-I), and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type II (sTNFR-II) responses during the treatment of fever in uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, in a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study of 50 pediatric patients in Lambaréné, Gabon. Treatment of the malaria involved the patients receiving intravenous quinine (12 mg/kg of quinine dihydrochloride every 12 h for 72 h) followed by a single dose of oral sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (25 mg and 1.25 mg/kg). Fever was treated by mechanical treatment plus either ibuprofen (7 mg/kg every 8 hours) or placebo during the hospitalization period. We determined serum concentrations of TNF-α, sTNFR-I, and sTNFR-II in peripheral blood throughout the treatment period in the two groups: ibuprofen and placebo groups. TNF-α levels were found to be positively correlated with body temperature. In contrast, TNF receptors levels did not differ between the two groups and the antipyretic effect of ibuprofen was not correlated with specific changes in sTNFR-I and sTNFR-II production. Our data suggest that TNF-α is involved in malarial fever, but soluble TNF receptors play no major role in fever modulation.

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