PENTOXIFYLLINE REDUCES INJURY OF THE BRAIN IN TRANSIENT ISCHEMIA

Objective - The beneficial effect of pentoxifylline (PTX) on ischaemic -reperfusion injury was assessed in a rat model of transient global ce rebral ischaemia. Design - Randomized, controlled, prospective study. Setting - University research laboratory. Subjects - Thirty-six male W istar albino rats. Interventions - Ischaemia was induced with a four-v essel occlusion technique in 24 animals with the duration of 15 minute s. Group I animals (n = 12) received PTX treatment started 20 minutes before the occlusion of carotid arteries (60 mg/kg bolus followed by i nfusion at 0.1 mg/kg/min). A similar volume of saline solution was use d in animals of the control group (group 2, n = 12), The animals in gr oup 3 (sham group, n = 12) were anaesthetized and subjected to operati ve dissections without vascular occlusion. Measurements - Physiologica l parameters and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) were monitored in animals before ischaemia, during ischaemia and in the first 30 minu tes of reperfusion, Their neurological outcome had been clinically eva luated and scored up to 4 days post ischaemia, The intergroup differen ces were compared. Then the animals were sacrificed and their brains w ere processed for histopathological examination. Main results - In gro up 3, SEP amplitudes did not change du ring the procedures, and all an imals recovered without neurologic deficits. At the end of the ischaem ic period, the average amplitude was reduced to 4 +/- 3% of the baseli ne in all ischaemic animals, This was followed by a gradual return to 92 +/- 9% and 82 +/- 8% of the initial amplitude after 30 minutes of r eperfusion in group I and group 2, respectively (p < 0.05). The averag e neurological score was significantly higher in group I than in group 2 in the post-ischaemia period (p < 0,05). Histological observations were clearly correlated with the neurological findings. Conclusion - T he results suggest that PTX reduces cerebral injury and preserves neur ologic function in transient global ischaemia in rats.