Modulation of TNFα and IL-6 in a peritonitis model using pentoxifylline

• Published in: Journal of pediatric surgery Vol. 31; no. 7; pp. 928 - 930
• Main Authors: Refsum, S.E, Halliday, M.I, Campbell, G, McCaigue, M, Rowlands, B.J, Boston, V.E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Elsevier Inc 01-07-1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure; Cecum - injuries; Cecum - microbiology; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Interleukin-6 - antagonists & inhibitors; Interleukin-6 - blood; Interleukin-6 - immunology; Intestinal Perforation - microbiology; Ligation; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Multiple Organ Failure; Pentoxifylline - pharmacology; Peritonitis - immunology; Peritonitis - microbiology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sepsis - immunology; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - analysis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - drug effects; Pentoxifylline; interleukin 6; tumor necrosis factor; sepsis; Intraperitoneal administration; Rat; Septicemia; Cytokine; Rodentia; Multiple organ failure; Infection; Interleukin 6; Prevention; Vertebrata; Chemotherapy; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Abdominal disease; Animal; Xanthine derivatives; Tumor necrosis factor α; Peritonitis
• ISSN: 0022-3468; 1531-5037
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-3468(96)90413-3

Sepsis leads to release of reactants that play an important role in the development of multiple organ failure. The kinetics of two early mediators of the response to sepsis, tumour necrosis factor (TNFα) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and their modulation with pentoxifylline (PTF), were investigated. An established and clinically relevant animal model was employed, and sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in Wistar rats. Six hours after the operation, there was an increase in IL-6 in all animals, which declined toward normal by 18 hours. This early phase of IL-6 production was not influenced by PTF. TNFα and IL-6 were significantly higher in the CLP group than in the animals treated with PTF at 24 hours. The blood pressure of the CLP group at 24 hours was significantly lower than that of the shams, and this decrease was not influenced by PTF. This decline in blood pressure may have been the stimulus to TNF production and the second phase of IL-6 production, which appeared to be inhibited by PTF. Pentoxifylline appears to attenuate systemic cytokine production in this model and may have a role in the management of clinical sepsis.