Fe. Parkinson et al., PROPENTOFYLLINE - A NUCLEOSIDE TRANSPORT INHIBITOR WITH NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS IN CEREBRAL-ISCHEMIA, General pharmacology, 25(6), 1994, pp. 1053-1058
1. Adenosine is an endogenous neuroprotective agent; stimulation of A(
1) receptors decreases excitatory amino acid neurotransmission and sti
mulation of A(2) receptors inhibits platelet and neutrophil activation
and promotes vasodilation. 2. Post-ischemic administration of propent
ofylline (HWA 285) reduces neuronal damage in gerbils and improves glu
cose metabolism in all regions of brain in acute stroke patients. 3. P
ropentofylline inhibits the transport of adenosine into cultured cells
and increases extracellular adenosine concentrations in ischemic brai
n. Thus, enhanced stimulation of adenosine receptors may account for s
ome of the neuroprotective effects of this compound. 4. Propentofyllin
e inhibits free radical production by cultivated microglia cells, stim
ulates nerve growth factor production and inhibits cAMP-phosphodiester
ase activity. These effects may also be important for neuroprotection.