1. [Preliminary study on effect of pentoxifylline in treatment of extrinsic allergic alveolitis].
- Author
-
Tong ZH, Chen BM, Dai HP, Wang C, Guzman J, and Costabel U
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic drug therapy, Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic pathology, Antigens, CD analysis, Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid chemistry, Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid cytology, Cells, Cultured, Female, Humans, Interleukins analysis, Lung cytology, Lung drug effects, Lung metabolism, Macrophages, Alveolar cytology, Macrophages, Alveolar metabolism, Male, Middle Aged, Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor analysis, Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I, Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha analysis, Macrophages, Alveolar drug effects, Pentoxifylline pharmacology
- Abstract
Objectives: Pentoxifylline (POF) is a well established drug with haemorrheological properties. Various evidence suggests an additional therapeutic potential in regard to inflammation and immunomodulation. Extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) is a granulomatous disease which is driven by T cell and alveolar macrophage (AM) derived cytokines. To investigate the effects of POF on the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and the soluble TNF receptors (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) from AM in EAA, also in comparison with dexamethasone (DEX)., Methods: AM from 9 patients with EAA were cultured for 24 h with 10% RPMI medium alone, or with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 micro g/L), and with POF at concentrations of 0.01 mmol/L, 0.1 mmol/L and 1 mmol/L, or with 0.1 mmol/L DEX. Cytokines in the culture supernatants were analysed by ELISA., Results: POF induced a dose dependent suppression of spontaneous TNFalpha and IL-10 release from AM in EAA (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05). The spontaneous production of other cytokines was unaffected by POF at all tested concentrations. DEX inhibited only the spontaneous release of TNFalpha significantly (P < 0.05). POF and DEX also inhibited the LPS-stimulated production of all cytokines except of IL-1beta and sTNFR1 (P < 0.001 or P < 0.01 or P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Our results may be the basis for clinical trials to evaluate the role of POF as an immunotherapeutic agent in the treatment of EAA.
- Published
- 2004