The 2 arylpropionic acid derivatives, or "profens", are an important group of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Widely used members of this group include ibuprofen, naproxen, flurbiprofen, and etodolac. Most of these drugs were marketed as racemates, however the individual enantiomers differ in their pharmacological activity, mechanism and toxicity. This drug class is widely focused because of its various biologic properties that affect their clinical use. This review will demonstrate enantioselective pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of "profens".

Drug metabolism determines several pharmacological and toxicological properties of pharmaceuticals and is catalyzed by drug metabolizing enzymes. Predicting of drug metabolism in humans based on animal experiments is complicated by species differences in the catalytic properties of these enzymes. This review describes and evaluates the use of recombinant models that contain human drug metabolizing enzymes to facilitate the prediction of pharmacokinetical properties of candidate drugs in humans.