Effects of pentoxifylline on cerebral ultrastructure of normal and ischemic gerbils.

Normal gerbils and those made ischemic for 15 to 60 minutes by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion were studied ultrastructurally after administration of the vasoactive drug pentoxifylline. In both groups, hypertrophy of neuronal mitochondria was found in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Planimetry of electron micrographs revealed a statistically significant increase in average mitochondrial size of drug-treated animals compared with untreated ischemic gerbils and normal controls; the treated ischemic group showed the greatest increase. Incubated cortical slices from normal gerbils that were given the drug 5 hours before they were killed showed a significant increase in oxygen consumption compared with controls.