title: Pentoxifylline effects on nerve conduction velocity and blood flow in diabetic rats.
abstract: Pentoxifylline has several actions that improve blood rheology and tissue perfusion and may therefore potentially be applicable to diabetic neuropathy. The aims of this study were to ascertain whether 2 weeks of treatment with pentoxifylline could correct nerve conduction velocity and blood flow deficits in 6-week streptozotocin-diabetic rats and to examine whether the effects were blocked by co-treatment with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, flurbiprofen, or the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine. Diabetic deficits in sciatic motor and saphenous sensory nerve conduction velocity were 56.5% and 69.8% corrected, respectively, with pentoxifylline treatment. Sciatic endoneurial blood flow was approximately halved by diabetes and this deficit was 50.4% corrected by pentoxifylline. Flurbiprofen co-treatment markedly attenuated these actions of pentoxifylline on nerve conduction and blood flow whereas NG-nitro-L-arginine was without effect. Thus, pentoxifylline treatment confers neurovascular benefits in experimental diabetic neuropathy, which are linked at least in part to cyclooxygenase-mediated metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Flint
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Cameron
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005480:Flurbiprofen / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019335:Nitroarginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D019335:Nitroarginine; D005480:Flurbiprofen; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D010431:Pentoxifylline