title: Protection by pentoxifylline against normothermic liver ischemia/reperfusion in rats.
abstract: Previously, pentoxifylline treatment of graft recipients was shown to protect against liver graft failure from storage/reperfusion injury after orthotopic rat liver transplantation. To determine whether pentoxifylline also protects against normothermic ischemia/reperfusion injury to liver, we induced lobar ischemia in rats followed by reflow and partial hepatectomy of the noninvolved liver. In rats receiving pentoxifylline 2 hr before surgery and then twice daily for 5 days, the 1-week survival rate more than doubled from 25% to 67% (P < 0.05). Liver enzymes (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and lactate dehydrogenase) in the serum and liver necrosis evaluated histologically were also significantly reduced in the pentoxifylline-treated rats (P < 0.01). Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion increased leukocyte infiltration into the lungs, and pentoxifylline tended to reduce this lung injury (P = 0.06). These results show that pentoxifylline treatment reduces hepatic injury and improves survival after normothermic ischemia and reperfusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7090, USA.
authors.forename: X X
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Currin
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Thurman
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lemasters
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D010431:Pentoxifylline