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Pentoxifylline lowers plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 levels in obese individuals: a pilot study
James A S Muldowney1, Qingxia Chen, Dana L Blakemore
1Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. james.muldowney@vanderbilt.edu
Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), the primary inhibitor of fibrinolysis and C-reactive protein (CRP), is a predictor of myocardial infarction. Both are upregulated by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) within the obese population. This pilot study tested the hypothesis that TNF-α blockade with pentoxifylline lowers PAI-1 and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in obese individuals. Twenty participants were treated with pentoxifylline for 8 weeks. A proportional odds model was used to compare the change in PAI-1 and CRP in the pentoxifylline and placebo groups. Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, but not hsCRP levels, decreased over the 8-week period of the study (P = .025 and P = NS). There was significant dropout of participants due to drug tolerability. These findings suggest that these markers of cardiovascular risk are differentially regulated in obesity and that PAI-1 levels can be reduced by pentoxifylline in this population.
Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), the primary inhibitor of fibrinolysis and C-reactive protein (CRP), is a predictor of myocardial infarction. Both are upregulated by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) within the obese population. This pilot study tested the hypothesis that TNF-α blockade with pentoxifylline lowers PAI-1 and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in obese individuals. Twenty participants were treated with pentoxifylline for 8 weeks. A proportional odds model was used to compare the change in PAI-1 and CRP in the pentoxifylline and placebo groups. Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, but not hsCRP levels, decreased over the 8-week period of the study (P = .025 and P = NS). There was significant dropout of participants due to drug tolerability. These findings suggest that these markers of cardiovascular risk are differentially regulated in obesity and that PAI-1 levels can be reduced by pentoxifylline in this population.
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