Pentoxifylline in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

The effects of pentoxifylline, a new methylxanthine with marked hemorrheologic properties, were studied following brief renal artery occlusion in the isolated rat kidney model perfused with cell-free Krebs-Henseleit buffer. Anuria was observed in 3 of 6 control kidneys within 5 min after reperfusion; urine flow was maintained in all rat kidneys perfused with pentoxifylline (2500 ng/ml). Glomerular filtration rate was significantly greater in kidneys administered pentoxifylline compared with controls following 40 min of postocclusion reperfusion (460 +/- 100 vs. 100 +/- 110 microliters/min/gKW; P less than 0.01). Pretreatment of kidneys with indomethacin, a nonspecific cyclooxygenase inhibitor, blocked the protective effects of pentoxifylline in this setting. These data suggest that the addition of pentoxifylline may prevent hypoxia-related changes in renal function of transplanted kidneys. Stimulation of renal prostaglandin synthesis, as well as an interaction at the level of the adenosine receptors, were most likely responsible for the observed beneficial effects of pentoxifylline.