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KE

ketoprofen (KefenTech / ketoprofen, Jeil / Kefen patch)

✓ Approved

Jeil Pharmaceutical · PTGS1 · Small Molecule

What is ketoprofen?

ketoprofen is a small molecule developed by Jeil Pharmaceutical. It is approved for therapeutic indications via transdermal.

Drug Profile

Brand NamesKefenTech, ketoprofen, Jeil, Kefen patch
CompanyJeil Pharmaceutical
Drug ClassSmall Molecule
Molecular TargetPTGS1, PTGS2
RouteTransdermal
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Jeil Pharmaceutical

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

ketoprofen acts on 2 molecular targets:

PTGS1prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1 (COX3, PCOX1)
PTGS2prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (GRIPGHS, hCox-2)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

ketoprofen is developed for 3 unique indications across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disordersBursitis✓ Approved
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disordersOsteoarthritis✓ Approved
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disordersTendonitis✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedMarine pollution bulletin2026-10-14

A multipronged approach to inform ecological risks of emerging organic contaminants in surface water and sediment in the estuarine-receiving environment of Tauranga Harbour, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Stewart Michael M, Northcott Grant G, Crawshaw Josie J, Conwell Claire C

Increasing coastal urbanisation is a continuous stressor on coastal ecosystems. Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) comprise thousands of chemicals whose environmental fate and effects are not all well understood. A study of 96 EOCs was undertaken in Tauranga Harbour, New Zealand, with surficial sediments collected and passive sampling devices (PSDs) deployed at 12 sites. Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), glyphosate/aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and chloroxylenol were detected in PSDs only, while nonylphenol, bisphenol A, ketoprofen, salicylic acid, meclofenamic acid, UV filter chemicals and antifouling agents were only detected in sediment. Methyl paraben was the only EOC detected in both phases. Lipophilic phthalate plasticisers, pyrethroid insecticides, brominated diphenyl ether flame retardants and polycyclic musk fragrances were only measured in sediment. Phthalate plasticisers were ubiquitous while pyrethroid insecticides were detected at 8 sites. Steroid estrogens, phosphate flame retardants, wastewater markers, and the anti-corrosive benzotriazole were not detected. Generally, EOC concentrations in sediment and water from Tauranga Harbour are low when compared to other countries, with higher concentrations observed closest to the city of Tauranga. A qualitative ecological risk assessment of EOCs was undertaken using a risk quotient (RQ) approach. Ecological risk from dissolved EOCs was low to negligible with concentrations several orders of magnitude lower than effects concentrations. Sediment concentrations of EOCs were generally one order of magnitude below ecological effects concentrations, however five EOCs presented potential risks with exceedances recorded across 6 sites. Highest RQs quotients were 7.7 for monobutyl phthalate acid ester and 5.0 for cis-permethrin.

PMID 42874543
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PubMedPreventive veterinary medicine2026-09-27

The effect of ketoprofen administered in the early postpartum period on dairy cow health, production and reproduction.

Prosser Naomi N, Vázquez-Diosdado Jorge J, Glover Amber A, Craven Emily E et al.

Dairy cows undergo acute physiological changes over the transition from non-lactating and pregnant, through calving and initiation of lactation. Inflammation is necessary for adaption to these changes; however, excess inflammation in dairy cows is common and associated with poorer health, production and reproduction. Therefore, reducing inflammation at calving with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ketoprofen, could reduce the negative consequences of inflammation. In this study, we recruited 1144 cows from five commercial dairy farms which were randomised to either receive one dose of ketoprofen 2-3 days postpartum or no treatment. The effect of ketoprofen on survival, number of treatments for disease, milk yield, days to conception and 21 other related health, production and reproduction parameters at 300 days in milk were tested using regression models. Ketoprofen treatment had no effect on the primary outcomes tested but had an effect on two associated outcomes, which is fewer than would be expected by chance. Therefore, there is little evidence overall of an effect of ketoprofen on health, production and reproduction. The effect with the most statistical support was that ketoprofen treatment was associated with a 0.05% (95% confidence interval 0.01-0.08%) increase in milk protein for multiparous cows. We did not replicate the findings of other ketoprofen clinical trials, which could be due to differences in timing and number of doses of ketoprofen, or findings not being generalisable across farms. Future studies should investigate the effect of ketoprofen timing and course duration and test the replicability of our findings.

PMID 42800349
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PubMedPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)2026-09-26

Quality by Design-Guided Development of Ketoprofen-Cationic Aspasomes Unlocks the Antifungal Potential of Repurposed Ketoprofen for Topical Therapy.

Eltabeeb Moaz A MA, Albash Rofida R, Hassan Mariam M, Ahmed Sadek S et al.

Background/Objectives: Cutaneous fungal infections remain a major therapeutic challenge due to poor skin penetration and emerging antifungal resistance of current treatments. Drug repurposing offers a promising strategy to expand antifungal therapy, with ketoprofen (KPN) recently demonstrating antifungal activity. Methods: In this study, KPN-cationic aspasomes (Ca-ASPMs) were developed using a Quality by Design (QbD) approach to enhance topical delivery and maximize the therapeutic potential of repurposed KPN. A D-optimal experimental design was implemented to investigate the influence of ascorbyl palmitate amount (X1), ethanol concentration (X2), and cationic SAA type (X3) on the critical quality attributes of KPN-Ca-ASPMs, namely entrapment efficiency, particle size, and zeta potential. Results: Numerical optimization identified an optimum formulation comprising 10 mg ascorbyl palmitate, 5% ethanol, and didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) as cationic SAA, with an overall desirability of 0.815. The optimal KPN-Ca-ASPM (F9) exhibited nanosized vesicles (213.24 ± 2.20 nm) and 91.30 ± 10.01% entrapment efficiency. TEM confirmed the spherical morphology of the vesicles, while DSC demonstrated successful incorporation of KPN within the aspasomal matrix. F9 exhibited enhanced in vitro drug release (68% after 6 h) and excellent storage stability. Confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated enhanced skin penetration of F9. In a murine cutaneous candidiasis model, F9 significantly enhanced the antifungal efficacy of KPN, producing a 2.989-log reduction in fungal burden compared with the untreated group and significantly outperforming the free drug (p = 0.0005). Histopathological examination confirmed restoration of normal skin architecture. Conclusions: Collectively, the QbD-guided development of KPN-Ca-ASPM provided a reproducible nanocarrier that significantly enhanced the topical antifungal efficacy of repurposed KPN, highlighting its potential for the treatment of cutaneous candidiasis.

PMID 42797440
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PubMedMembranes2026-09-24

Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar-Driven Photocatalysis-Membrane Distillation Process for the Removal of Ketoprofen from Seawater.

Szymański Kacper K, Ruiz-Aguirre Alba A, Piątkowska Aleksandra A, Mozia Sylwia S et al.

In the present research, the application of a photocatalytic reactor operated under simulated solar-light-assisted air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) is proposed to remove ketoprofen from seawater. TiO2 at a concentration of 1 g/L, containing sulfur, was applied as a photocatalyst. The AGMD process was carried out under a feed temperature of 60-80 °C and a membrane area of 131 cm2 during long-term operation. Simulated solar light was applied as an irradiance source. At the first stage of the process, the feed was concentrated for 73 h, and after that, the solution of seawater spiked with ketoprofen was photocatalytically treated for 96 h. Based on the experiments, it was found that 51% of ketoprofen was removed after the solar-driven photocatalysis process. Pure distillate without salts (conductivity below 2 µS/cm) and ketoprofen were obtained after 73 h. The performance of the membrane exhibited ca. two times higher permeate flux at an operation temperature of 80 °C in comparison with 60 °C, i.e., 24.7 L/h·m2 and 47.3 L/h·m2, respectively. Despite the presence of small deposits on the membrane surface, no membrane wetting was observed. The concentration of ketoprofen in the concentrates during the AGMD process and solar-driven photocatalysis can remove this pharmaceutical even from matrices enriched with salts (high AGMD concentrate), with good efficiency.

PMID 42783518
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PubMedCarbohydrate polymers2026-09-24

Low-solid content cellulose nanofiber/mixed-linkage glucan hydrogels for drug delivery and nanoparticle encapsulation.

Cheng Yu Y, Bozzhigitova Dinara D, Gangurde Puja P, Marjamaa Kaisa K et al.

It is well established that polymer concentration significantly influences drug diffusion. However, achieving mechanically stable networks at low solid content while maintaining sustained and controlled release remains challenging. In this work, we prepared hydrogels composed of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TCNF) and mixed-linkage β-glucan (MLG) at total solid contents of 0.4% (w/w). Rheological characterization confirmed solid-like viscoelastic behavior, while FTIR, WAXS, and SEM analyses supported the formation of a physically crosslinked nanofibrillar network with a highly porous structure. Drug release studies revealed sustained release behavior governed by molecular size and charge. Compounds with lower molecular weight (4 kDa FITC-dextrans) or negative charge (ketoprofen) exhibited rapid release, reaching cumulative release rates of over 90% within 6-8 h. In contrast, higher molecular weight compounds (40 kDa FITC-dextrans) or positively charged molecules (nadolol) showed slower release profiles, with approximately 70% cumulative release after 24 h. Furthermore, the TCNF/MLG hydrogels exhibited strong retention of liposomal nanocarriers and enabled externally triggered release through the incorporation of light-sensitive liposomes, with the hydrogel matrix effectively converting rapid liposomal release into a sustained profile. Overall, this study evaluated the ability of TCNF/MLG hydrogels for controlled drug delivery applications and highlighted the potential for developing novel therapeutic strategies.

PMID 42785884
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PubMedJournal of chromatography. A2026-09-23

Preparation of an imidazole-bonded silica gel stationary phase for supercritical fluid chromatography.

Zhang Yu-Xian YX, Sun Meng-Zhen MZ, Cui Yuan-Yuan YY, Yang Cheng-Xiong CX

The development of stationary phases capable of providing diverse interaction mechanisms is of critical importance for expanding the applicative scope of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Although imidazole-functionalized materials have demonstrated considerable promise in high-performance liquid chromatography by virtue of their hydrogen bonding, π-π, and electrostatic interactions, their application and systematic evaluation in SFC remain largely unexplored. To address this gap, we herein report the synthesis, characterization, and chromatographic evaluation of a novel imidazole-bonded silica stationary phase (SiO2-IM-2) for SFC. The successful immobilization of 2-methylimidazole onto silica was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, and elemental mapping. The separation performance of the SiO2-IM-2 packed column was systematically assessed using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anilines, and sulfonamides (SAs) as the probes. Under optimized conditions (10 % methanol modifier for NSAIDs, SAs, and anilines; 6 % methanol for PAHs; 308 K; 130 bar), the SiO2-IM-2 column afforded rapid and baseline resolution for all four classes of compounds, achieving high column efficiency (up to 33,386 plates m-1 for ketoprofen) and excellent resolution. Notably, the stationary phase exhibited superior performance relative to conventional C18 and unmodified silica columns. Mechanistic investigations indicated a synergistic multi-modal retention mechanism involving the imidazole ring as the principal interactive moiety during SFC separation. Overall, this study introduces the SiO2-IM-2 phase as a robust and selective stationary phase for SFC, thereby expanding the portfolio of available separation materials for this technique.

PMID 42777472
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