ketoprofen

Overview

Ketoprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used for analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic purposes. Pharmacologically, it is generally understood to act through inhibition of cyclooxygenase-mediated prostaglandin synthesis, thereby reducing inflammatory signaling and pain. In biomedical research, ketoprofen is frequently studied not only as a conventional therapy but also as a model compound for controlled drug delivery, formulation engineering, and pharmacokinetic evaluation.

Recent research contexts also place ketoprofen in broader mechanistic and translational settings. These include perioperative multimodal analgesia, topical and localized anti-inflammatory delivery systems, and comparative studies alongside other NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, indomethacin, Diclofenac, mefenamic acid, and (±)-flurbiprofen. In addition, some studies have explored nontraditional roles, including interactions with microbial quorum sensing and biofilm formation, as well as use in drug delivery platforms designed to modulate release profiles and improve local therapeutic performance.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent publications show ketoprofen being investigated primarily as a formulation target and as a clinically used analgesic in multimodal pain management.

Several studies focused on advanced drug delivery systems intended to control ketoprofen release. One study developed three-dimensional printed tablets using digital light processing (DLP) to achieve controlled release of ketoprofen. Another used fused filament fabrication to produce polyvinyl alcohol capsule shells containing ketoprofen powder, generating immediate-, sustained-, and delayed-release capsule designs; this work also included a dual-compartment polypill with famotidine. These studies reflect ongoing efforts to tailor ketoprofen pharmacokinetics through additive manufacturing.

Nanotechnology-based delivery was also prominent. A study on ketoprofen solid lipid nanoparticles used mixture design and pharmacodynamic evaluation in rats to optimize the formulation for augmented anti-inflammatory activity in topical inflammatory conditions. Another study loaded ketoprofen into the shell of core-shell electrospun membranes for localized anti-inflammatory delivery in periodontitis, indicating interest in site-specific therapy. Together, these reports suggest that ketoprofen is being actively reformulated to improve local efficacy and reduce the limitations of conventional administration.

Ketoprofen also appeared in perioperative clinical practice. In a real-world cohort of total laryngectomy care, multimodal analgesia routinely included intravenous paracetamol, ketoprofen, and metamizole, while strong opioids were used infrequently. This supports ketoprofen’s role as part of opioid-sparing analgesic strategies in surgical settings.

Beyond analgesia, ketoprofen was examined in microbiological and mechanistic contexts. A drug repositioning study proposed ketoprofen as a potential antivirulence agent against Serratia sp., with emphasis on quorum sensing and biofilm inhibition. Another environmental study reported ketoprofen removal in a hybrid biofilm reactor system, highlighting its relevance as a micropollutant in wastewater treatment research. These findings extend ketoprofen research beyond therapy into antimicrobial and environmental domains.

Additional studies used ketoprofen as a probe or comparator in pharmacology and drug interaction research. A model-based analysis examined CYP2C9 genotype effects on fluconazole inhibition using ketoprofen, flurbiprofen, and tolbutamide as probe drugs, underscoring ketoprofen’s utility in cytochrome P450-related phenotyping and interaction studies. In another anticancer-oriented study, ketoprofen was evaluated alongside sulindac, celecoxib, and fluoxetine, both free and coupled to Janus dendrimers, in breast cancer and lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, with COS-7 cells used as a normal control. This indicates exploratory interest in NSAID-based nanocarrier systems and their effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Key Publications

NEWJun Fabrication and biocompatibility evaluation of 3D printed tablets using Digital Light Processing (DLP) printing for the controlled release of ketoprofen. (International journal of pharmaceutics, 2026, PMID 42134707): "In the present study, three-dimensional (3D) printed tablets were developed to achieve controlled release of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketoprofen (Keto)."
Jun Drug repositioning as an antivirulence strategy: Ketoprofen targets quorum sensing and biofilm in Serratia sp. (Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology], 2026, PMID 42334552): "In this context, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ketoprofen have emerged as potential quorum-quenching agents."
Jun Response of microbial interactions in hybrid biofilm system with low organic loading to micropollutant removal. (Environmental technology, 2026, PMID 42093172): "Significant removal efficiencies for ibuprofen (99.7%), indomethacin (99.0%), naproxen (97.6%), mefenamic acid (97%), and ketoprofen (91.4) were achieved."
May Leveraging large language models to audit perioperative total laryngectomy care: anesthetic, nutritional, and complication profiles in a real‑world cohort. (Otolaryngologia polska = The Polish otolaryngology, 2026, PMID 42178846): "Multimodal analgesia based on intravenous paracetamol (60%), ketoprofen (47%), and metamizole (40%) was routinely employed, while strong opioids were used in only 5% of patients."
May Anticancer activity of fluoxetine Janus dendrimer against cancer cells. (Artificial cells, nanomedicine, and biotechnology, 2026, PMID 42167254): "We evaluated the in vitro anticancer effects of sulindac, ketoprofen, celecoxib and the antidepressant fluoxetine, both free and coupled with synthesized dendrons and dendrimers, on the proliferation and apoptosis of human MCF-7 (human mammary adenocarcinoma), SKLU-1 (human lung adenocarcinoma) and as a control the normal monkey kidney (COS-7) cell line."
May Core-Shell Electrospun Membranes Enable Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Local Therapy for Periodontitis. (ACS applied bio materials, 2026, PMID 41988912): "while ketoprofen was loaded in the shell for localized anti-inflammatory delivery."
May Mixture Design-Modelling and Optimization of Ketoprofen Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for Augmented Anti-inflammatory Activity Following Pharmacodynamic Evaluation in Rats. (Pharmaceutical development and technology, 2026, PMID 42133922): "The present study aimed to formulate and optimize ketoprofen (KP)-loaded SLNs to enhance the drug's therapeutic efficacy in topical inflammatory conditions."
May A model-based analysis of the CYP2C9 genotype effects on fluconazole inhibition using flurbiprofen, ketoprofen and tolbutamide as probe drugs. (British journal of pharmacology, 2026, PMID 41566662): "A model-based analysis of the CYP2C9 genotype effects on fluconazole inhibition using flurbiprofen, ketoprofen and tolbutamide as probe drugs."
May Personalized oral drug delivery via FDM 3D printing: Polyvinyl alcohol capsules with tunable release profiles supported by in silico modeling. (European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2026, PMID 41702496): "Ketoprofen was formulated into FDM-printed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) capsule shells which were subsequently filled with ketoprofen powder and locked to form complete 3D‐printed capsules, spanning immediate-, sustained-, and delayed-release designs; a dual-compartment polypill with famotidine was also produced."