There is increasing evidence suggesting a protective role for anti-inflammatory medications in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). While there has not been any direct evidence for this, a number of clinical studies indicate that those patients who have had a history of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory use, have a lower incidence of AD. Since there is currently no evidence on the mechanism by which these agents offer possible neuroprotection, we investigated the potential neuroprotective properties of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, by examining whether this agent could reduce lipid peroxidation and superoxide radical generation. Quinolinic acid and cyanide, known neurotoxins, were used to induce lipid peroxidation and superoxide anion formation respectively, in rat brain homogenate. The results show that ibuprofen significantly (p<0.05) reduced quinolinic acid-induced lipid peroxidation and cyanide-induced superoxide production. The results of the present report therefore suggest a possible mechanism for the neuroprotective effect of ibuprofen.