Re: What does paracetamol do to suppress your fever?

Hello,

One common way to treat diseases is for medicinal chemists to synthesize 
drugs which bind to specific proteins.  This is because many proteins in 
our bodies are enzymes, capable of catalyzing chemical reactions (that is, 
making a particular chemical reaction proceed more efficiently). By 
creating a drug molecule which binds specifically to a target protein, the 
chemical reaction catalyzed by that particular protein can be slowed down 
considerably.

Paracetamol was originally discovered in the 1880’s, but the mechanism of 
action of paracetamol (known as acetaminophen in the U.S.) is still not 
clearly understood. Its ability to relieve pain and fever are similar to 
aspirin. Because paracetamol’s chemical structure is similar to aspirin, 
it has been thought that it acts in a similar manner to aspirin by 
attaching to proteins in the brain and central nervous system called 
cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes responsible for controlling the body’s 
response to pain. However, paracetamol does not have the same side-
effects, such as stomach irritation, that are caused by blocking these 
proteins. This suggests that paracetamol’s protein target may be different 
that aspirin. Some scientists believe that there is another COX protein 
similar to the one that aspirin blocks, but this continues to be a source 
of scientific inquiry and debate.