title: The effect of pentoxifylline on random-pattern skin-flap necrosis induced by nicotine treatment in the rat.
abstract: Cigarette smoke, and specifically nicotine, has been shown to reduce skin-flap survival. The purpose of this study was to determine if the preoperative administration of pentoxifylline can counteract the deleterious effects of nicotine on skin-flap survival in the rat. Sixty rats were distributed into four groups (n = 15). The survival of modified McFarlane skin flaps was assessed on postoperative day 7. The administration of nicotine (0.6 mg/kg) for 24 weeks preoperatively produced an average skin-flap survival of 59 percent; this was significantly decreased compared with controls (p < 0.05). When similarly treated animals were given pentoxifylline (20 mg/kg) for 30 days preoperatively, the mean skin-flap survival improved significantly to 80 percent (p < 0.05). Withholding nicotine for 2 weeks preoperatively also was found to significantly improve skin-flap survival to 73 percent (p < 0.05). Blood filterability was measured as an indicator of viscosity. The blood filterability in rats that received nicotine for 24 weeks was significantly decreased compared with controls (p < 0.05). Both the addition of pentoxifylline preoperatively and the withholding of nicotine for 2 weeks preoperatively were found to significantly improve blood filterability compared with rats that received nicotine alone for 24 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, USA.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Aker
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mancoll
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Colen
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000187:drug effects; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D009336:Necrosis; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply / Q000379:methods / Q000473:pathology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D009538:Nicotine; D010431:Pentoxifylline