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Naproxen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that reduces prostaglandin synthesis through cyclooxygenase inhibition. Its pharmacological class describes a shared mechanism, while its exposure time course is a separate pharmacokinetics question.

A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug is a drug in the group including ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin. These agents commonly reduce prostaglandin production through cyclooxygenase inhibition. Their shared pathway does not make their duration, selectivity or other effects identical.

A prostaglandin is a member of a family of locally acting lipid-derived signalling molecules, typically with a five-membered carbon ring and two side chains. Differences in oxidation and double-bond arrangement distinguish related members.

Their structures show why stereochemistry matters in biological signalling: spatially different groups interact differently with enzymes and receptors. The term names a chemical family, not one universally interchangeable signal. Their comparatively local formation and action also distinguish a generic prostaglandin description from the behaviour of any one named physiological messenger.