Pentoxifylline therapy in pre-clinical studies
In rats pentoxifylline downregulates a range of inflammatory cytokines in the context of sepsis and improves lung function [10]. In animal studies pentoxifylline is effective as a therapeutic in a range of models of lung injury including radiation-induced damage, cytotoxic agent damage and aortic clamping [11]. The actions of pentoxifylline in reducing lung damage appear to depend on a reduction of activity of the adenosine receptor A2A [9]. The direct inhibition of 5’- nucleotidase activity by pentoxifylline likely reduces adenosine production and may therefore complement the actions on cytokine gene transcription. Pentoxifylline improves glomerular damage and reduces TNFα in crescentic glomerulonephritis in rats [12]. Pentoxifylline does not appear to alter the replication of SARS-CoV in mice and does not show direct antiviral activity.