A recent study suggests modulation of luteinizing hormone signalling within the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and downstream transcriptional effects caused by sustained ibuprofen use. However, this study cannot be used to draw any clinical conclusions regarding effects of ibuprofen on male androgenic or reproductive health. Thus, the andrological effects of its use remain unclear and would benefit from further investigation.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Kristensen, D. M. et al. Analgesic use — prevalence, biomonitoring and endocrine and reproductive effects. Nat. Rev. Endocrinol. 12, 381–393 (2016).
Drobnis, E. Z. & Nangia, A. K. Pain medications and male reproduction. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 1034, 39–57 (2017).
Kristensen, D. M. et al. Ibuprofen alters human testicular physiology to produce a state of compensated hypogonadism. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, E715–E724 (2018).
Mackey, A. L. et al. Activation of satellite cells and the regeneration of human skeletal muscle are expedited by ingestion of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication. FASEB J. 30, 2266–2281 (2016).
Mederos, M. A. et al. Can serum testosterone be used as a marker of overall health? Rev. Urol. 17, 226–230 (2015).
Tsigos, C. et al. Dose-dependent effects of recombinant human interleukin-6 on the pituitary-testicular axis. J. Interferon Cytokine Res. 19, 1271–1276 (1999).
Hoyer, B. B. et al. Use of non-prescription analgesics and male reproductive function. Reprod. Toxicol. 74, 70–76 (2017).
Han, S. et al. Endocrine disruption and consequences of chronic exposure to ibuprofen in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) and freshwater cladocerans Daphnia magna and Moina macrocopa. Aquat. Toxicol. 98, 256–264 (2010).
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Brian Chase, biostatistician in the Department of Urology, University of Kansas Health System, for his comments on the statistics of the paper under discussion.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
A.N. wrote the manuscript. Both authors researched data for the article, took part in discussions of content, and reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nangia, A., Jensen, D. Ibuprofen and hypogonadism — bench to bedside to misinterpreted hype?. Nat Rev Urol 15, 268–269 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2018.26
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2018.26
This article is cited by
-
Clarifying the link between ibuprofen and hypogonadism
Nature Reviews Urology (2019)
