Palatability and Treatment Efficacy of Various Ibuprofen Formulations in C57BL/6 Mice with Ulcerative Dermatitis

Ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, is a nonselective inhibitor of cyclooxygenases 1 and 2 that commonly is used for its analgesic, antiinflammatory, and antipyretic properties. We compared the palatability and efficacy of medicated water containing ibuprofen from an oral pediatric suspension or liqui-gel capsules in C57BL/6 and genetically engineered mice of C57BL/6 background with ulcerative dermatitis. Mice (n = 14 or 15 per group) with ulcerated skin lesions of similar average size (capsule group, 6.71 mm(2); suspension group, 6.12 mm(2)) received ibuprofen in their drinking water at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. Water and food consumption, locomotor activity, grooming frequency, and reduction in pruritic behavior and lesion size were measured over a 9-d period. Compared with those treated with water containing the suspension, mice that received medicated water containing the liqui-gel formulation drank more (mean, 6.8 compared with 11.7 mL/d), consumed more food (4.02 compared with 2.73 g/d), and showed less pruritic behavior, greater healing (mean, 29.3% compare with 64.8%), and more locomotor activity over a 9-d period.