Effect of pentoxifylline on antioxidant status of healthy and endotoxemic New Zealand white rabbits

In this study, effect of pentoxifylline on antioxidant status of healthy and endotoxemic rabbits was investigated. Endotoxemia was induced with E. coli lipopolysaccharide in New Zealand white rabbits. Forty rabbits were randomly divided into four equal groups. Group 1 served as control. Animals in Group 2 were given lipopolysaccharide (400 μg/kg) intravenously, in Group 3 pentoxifylline (50 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally. In Group 4; pentoxifylline (50 mg/kg intraperitoneally) and lipopolysaccharide (400 μg/kg, intravenously) were injected simultaneously. Animals were killed, and liver, heart and kidney samples were taken at 6 hours after administrations. Malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and reduced glutathione levels of heart, liver and kidney tissues were measured. Lipopolysaccharide caused significant increases (p < 0.05) in hepatic malondialdehyde, and cardiac, hepatic and renal glutathione peroxidase activities. It however, caused significant (p < 0.05) decrease in hepatic superoxide dismutase activity when compared to control group. Pentoxifylline caused significant (p < 0.05) increases of cardiac and hepatic malondialdehyde levels, cardiac superoxide dismutase and renal glutathione peroxidase activities, and cardiac, hepatic and renal reduced glutathione levels when compared to control group. As a result, pentoxifylline has no exactly beneficial effect on the antioxidant status of healthy and endotoxaemic New Zealand white rabbits at the administered dose and route. Although it was stated that pentoxifylline may be beneficial in endotoxaemia, its antioxidant effect may be dependent on dose, administration route and animal species. For this reason, when pentoxifylline is used in endotoxaemia, a treatment protocol should be done for each animal species.