Does clinical use of cyclooxygenase inhibitors impair vitamin B-6 metabolism?
To our knowledge, we show novel findings that long-term physiologic doses of cyclooxygenase inhibitor may impede the synthesis of the coenzymatically active form of vitamin B-6. Because the cause of vitamin B-6 depletion in inflammation remains unknown, this study provides a potential mechanism that could account for the poor vitamin B-6 status in human inflammation. Moreover, this study further raises concerns about the long-term clinical use of antiinflammatory NSAIDs in humans. Vitamin B-6 status should be carefully monitored in long-term NSAID users. Future randomized placebo-controlled studies are needed to determine the impacts of antiinflammatory cyclooxygenase inhibitor use on vitamin B-6 metabolism in humans.
The study design does not allow definition of direction of causality.