Clinical features of gastroduodenal injury associated with long-term low-dose aspirin therapy

Figure 1 Pathogenesis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced gastric injury. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs induce injury via three key pathways: inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 activity, inhibition of COX-2 activity, and direct cytotoxic effects on the epithelium. Aspirin is a more potent inhibitor of COX-1 than of COX-2[20].