Taurine haloamines (
N-chlorotaurine,
N-bromotaurine) due to their strong
antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties are good candidates for topical application in treatment of skin inflammatory/infectious disorders. Recently, we have demonstrated that more stable
N-bromotaurine analogs (N-dibromo-dimethyl
taurine, N-monobromo-dimethyl
taurine) and
bromamine T show strong microbicidal and anti-inflammatory properties at concentrations well tolerated by human cells and tissue. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (
NSAIDs) with
cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitory activity are commonly used in various inflammatory diseases. However, systemic administration of
NSAIDs may result in adverse side effects. For example, the use of
ibuprofen in children with
varicella is associated with enhanced serum levels of TNF-α and with increased risk of necrotizing
soft tissue infections and secondary skin
infections caused by invasive streptococci. The aim of this study was to examine combined immunomodulatory effects of bromamines and
ibuprofen on J774.A1 macrophages. We have shown that the primary activity of
ibuprofen, the inhibition of
PGE2 production by activated macrophages was intensified in the presence of bromamines. Most importantly, the stimulatory effect of
ibuprofen on production of inflammatory
cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) was inhibited by all tested bromamines. These observations indicate that bromamines may neutralize massive production of TNF-α at sites of
inflammation, a side effect of
ibuprofen. Therefore, we suggest that systemic administration of
ibuprofen (
NSAIDs) in treatment of inflammatory/
infectious skin diseases should be supported by topical application of bromamines as an adjunctive
therapy.