Abstract
Pentoxifylline (PTX), a tri-substituted purine and xanthine derivative, has been used for several years to improve microcirculation because of its hemorheological properties. PTX has also antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects. We studied the reaction of PTX with the hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion. Hydroxyl radical was generated by a mixture of ascorbic acid, H2O2 and Fe (III)-EDTA. We evaluated the iron-dependent degradation of deoxyribose, mediated by hydroxyl radical, in the presence of different concentrations of PTX (from 0.05 to 3 mM), measuring the degradation products of deoxyribose that react with 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA). The reaction of PTX with hydroxyl radical occurred with a rate constant of (1.1±0.2)×1010 M −1/s. These results support the properties of PTX as a hydroxyl radical scavenger. Some authors verified that PTX decreases the release of superoxide anion from activated neutrophils. We studied the effect of PTX as a scavenger of superoxide generated in vitro by a hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase system. PTX was not a superoxide anion scavenger in this system.
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Freitas, J.P., Filipe, P.M. Pentoxifylline. Biol Trace Elem Res 47, 307–311 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02790131
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02790131