This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Pentoxifylline is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
 |
|
|
Pentoxifylline
|
|
| Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
| 3,7-Dihydro-3,7-dimethyl-1-(5-oxohexyl)-1H-purine-2,6-dione | |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | |
| ATC code | C04 |
| PubChem | |
| DrugBank | |
| Chemical data | |
| Formula | C13H18N4O3 |
| Mol. mass | 278.31 |
| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Bioavailability | Near 100% for oral dosing |
| Metabolism | Hepatic and via erythrocytes |
| Half life | 0.4 - 0.8 hours (1 - 1.6 hours for active metabolite) |
| Excretion | Mainly urine (<4% feces) |
| Therapeutic considerations | |
| Pregnancy cat. |
C(US) |
| Legal status | |
| Routes | Oral |
Pentoxifylline is the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) of a drug sold by Aventis under the name Trental. Its chemical name is 1-(5-oxohexyl)-3, 7-dimethylxanthine. Pentoxifylline is a xanthine derivative.
This drug is passed into the breast milk. Animal studies have shown no evidence of teratogenicity at high doses.
Contents |
Uses
It is used to treat intermittent claudication resulting from obstructed arteries in the limbs, and vascular dementia.[1]
Pentoxifylline improves blood flow through blood vessels and therefore helps with blood circulation in the arms and legs (e.g. intermittent claudication).
It also helps prevent strokes, can be used in managing sickle cell disease and improves blood flow to the brain.
Pentoxifylline has also been used to treat nausea and headaches in the mountains (altitude sickness), and has been shown to reduce mortality in acute alcoholic and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, presumably through its ability to inhibit TNF-alpha.
Mechanism
Pentoxifylline is a PDE4 inhibitor increasing intracellular cAMP and stimulating PKA activity.
It is also a known inhibitor of Tumor necrosis factor-alpha.
Drug interaction
Co-administration of pentoxifylline and sodium thiopental causes death by acute pulmonary oedema in rats.[2]
Alternative brand names
- Pentoxil (Upsher Smith)
- Pentoxin (Ratiopharm)
- Artal (Leiras)
References
- ^ (1996) European Pentoxifylline Multi-Infarct Dementia Study. Eur Neurol. 36(5):315-21. PMID 8864715
- ^ Pereda J, Gómez-Cambronero L, Alberola A, Fabregat G, Cerdá M, Escobar J, Sabater L, García-de-la-Asunción J, Viña J, Sastre J. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Br J Pharmacol. 2006 Oct;149(4):450-5. Epub 2006 Sep 4.PMID: 16953192.
External links
 |
This pharmacology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
|
|||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 4 October 2008, at 13:12.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Pentoxifylline".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.