title: Pentoxifylline inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha)-induced T-lymphoma cell adhesion to endothelioma cells.
abstract: Pentoxifylline, a methylxanthine derivative, has been shown to inhibit T-cell-mediated cutaneous immune response by yet ill-understood mechanisms. Because cell adhesion to endothelial cells is a critical step in the initiation of such immune responses, we analyzed whether pentoxifylline would affect this process. To address this issue, adhesion of mouse T-lymphoma cells (TK-1) to mouse endothelioma cells (eEnd.2), either untreated or stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), was studied. Pentoxifylline reduced the ability of endothelioma cells stimulated with different concentrations of TNF alpha, but not of untreated endothelioma cells, to bind T-lymphoma cells in dose-dependent (10(-5)-10(-3) M) fashion. Selective incubation of either endothelioma cells or T-lymphoma cells revealed that pentoxifylline acted exclusively on the endothelioma cells, even when added after TNF alpha stimulation. We questioned whether pentoxifylline suppressed T-lymphoma cell/endothelioma cell interactions by interfering with adhesion molecules expressed by either cell. However, as determined by flow cytometry, pentoxifylline did not alter TNF alpha-induced upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 or vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 on endothelioma cells nor did it affect constitutive CD11a, CD18, or alpha 4-integrin expression on T-lymphoma cells, suggesting that rather than affecting quantitative expression of these adhesion molecules, pentoxifylline might modulate their avidity. We conclude that pentoxifylline in therapeutically achievable concentrations is a potent inhibitor of TNF alpha-induced T-lymphoma cell adhesion to endothelioma cells. This finding may account, at least in part, for the recently discovered anti-inflammatory action of pentoxifylline.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vanscheidt
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Pilarski
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weyl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peschen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schöpf
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vestweber
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D008202:Lymphangioma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D010431:Pentoxifylline