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Pentoxifylline in ischemic, hypertensive and idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy: effects on left-ventricular function,

Philipp Bahrmann1, Uta M Hengst, Babara M Richartz

  • 1Clinic of Internal Medicine I, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Erlanger Allee 101, 07740 Jena, Germany. philipp.bahrmann@med.uni-jena.de

European Journal of Heart Failure
|February 27, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Pentoxifylline did not improve left-ventricular ejection fraction or other heart failure markers in patients with ischemic, hypertensive, or idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy over six months.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Elevated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are observed in congestive heart failure (CHF).
  • Pentoxifylline, a xanthine derivative, inhibits TNF-alpha and IL-6 production.
  • Previous studies suggested pentoxifylline improved cardiac function in idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of pentoxifylline as an add-on therapy in patients with CHF.
  • To evaluate its effects on left-ventricular function and inflammatory markers across different etiologies of cardiomyopathy.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving 47 patients with compensated CHF (LVEF ≤ 40%) and various cardiomyopathy types.
  • Patients received pentoxifylline (600 mg BID) or placebo for 6 months, alongside standard CHF treatment.
  • Primary endpoint: change in left-ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) via echocardiography; secondary endpoints included inflammatory markers and functional capacity.

Main Results:

  • After 6 months, no significant difference in LVEF was observed between the pentoxifylline and placebo groups (e.g., 29±7% to 33±10% vs. 27±9% to 34±9%, P=NS).
  • Secondary endpoints, including inflammatory cytokine levels and functional capacity, also showed no significant changes.
  • The study included patients with ischemic, hypertensive, and idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy.

Conclusions:

  • Pentoxifylline as an additional treatment demonstrated a neutral effect on left-ventricular function.
  • It did not significantly alter inflammatory cytokine levels or clinical symptoms in patients with CHF.
  • The findings suggest pentoxifylline offers no additional benefit for cardiac function or inflammatory status in these CHF patient groups.
Abstract

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