The potential role of ibuprofen in the immunity of the elderly with respiratory syncytial virus

New research suggests that ibuprofen may one day provide elderly people with long-lasting immunity to respiratory confluence virus (RSV)

Among adults over 65 in the United States, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes approximately 14,000 deaths and 177,000 hospitalizations each year

Studies have shown that older cotton rats given ibuprofen for a week before the first RSV infection cleared the virus faster than those without ibuprofen

In contrast, young adult cotton rats can clear the virus quite effectively and produce an appropriate immune response to re-infection a month later, but ibuprofen has no effect

Ibuprofen is only effective in elderly animals, and research results show that the drug improves the immune response by reducing inflammation associated with aging

"For a long time, people have thought that certain immune cells will fail and cannot continue to work normally

"It only works in elderly animals.

The research will be published in the November 2021 issue of Virology

Niewiesk and lead author Olivia Harder, a veterinary bioscience researcher at Ohio State University, warned that it is too early to consider taking ibuprofen to prevent RSV infection

In this study, the researchers compared the effects of ibuprofen pretreatment on two groups of sexually mature adult cotton rats (less than 2 months old) and 9 to 15 months old

The drug was added to their food and drinking water for a week before they were infected with RSV for the first time

Although ibuprofen is associated with faster clearance of the virus in older rats, scientists are particularly interested in how animals respond to reinfection a month later

"We want to see if they can produce an immune response," Harder said

In the examination of cells and tissues, Harder found that ibuprofen could not increase the antibody response of aged rats, nor could it kill the virus

Previous studies have shown that other immune cells responsible for stimulating the production of T cells become sluggish in older animals, and inflammation-related molecules are responsible for their sluggish response

"If you use ibuprofen to remove these inflammatory molecules, these immune cells will migrate normally, and we will stimulate CD8+ T cells

The RSV vaccine is under development, but there is currently no treatment-only an expensive preventive antibody that can be used to prevent severe symptoms in high-risk infants
.

Niewiesk hopes to eventually find a more targeted drug for the elderly, which can have a similar protective effect against RSV without any risk
.

"In this case, people don't need to take ibuprofen every day throughout the winter
.
There are too many side effects," he said
.
"But if you have something to eat after the infection, after you feel sick, that's great
.
"