title: Beneficial effects of pentoxifylline in neonatal rats infected with group B streptococci.
abstract: Previous studies have indicated that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) may play a pathophysiologic role in experimental sepsis by group B streptococci (GBS). We tested the efficacy of some TNF-alpha and eicosanoid inhibitors in a neonatal rat model of GBS disease. The drugs tested included cloricromene, SKF86002, pentoxifylline, CGS8515, ibuprofen and LY203647. None of these compounds were protective against GBS infection, with the exception of pentoxifylline, that produced a moderate enhancement of survival time. Further studies are needed to ascertain if specific inhibitors of TNF-alpha, alone or in conjunction with antibiotics, may be effective as therapeutic agents in neonatal GBS sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blandino
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gambuzza
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Migliardo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fera
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cusumano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015777:Eicosanoids / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D015777:Eicosanoids; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D010431:Pentoxifylline