Pharmacological effects on hemoglobin-oxygen affinity in vitro and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary...

We examined the effects of pentoxifylline, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and calcium hopantenate on hemoglobin-oxygen affinity in vivo and in vitro. In vitro study, pentoxifylline at 3 and 15 micrograms/ml significantly increased P50 from the placebo (27.0 +/- 0.3 Torr, mean +/- SE) to 28.2 +/- 1.7 and 28.1 +/- 1.3 Torr respectively (p less than 0.05) after 4 hours incubation. With 75 micrograms/ml pentoxifylline, P50 increased slightly to 27.8 +/- 1.4 Torr (0.05 less than p less than 0.1). 2,3-DPG was slightly higher (0.05 less than p less than 0.1) with pentoxifylline of 3 (11.15 +/- 4.12 mumol/gHb) and 75 micrograms/ml (10.62 +/- 2.32 mumol/gHb) than placebo. Other agents, 1-100 micrograms/ml of CoQ10 and 0.01-1 mg/ml of calcium hopantenate, neither P50 nor 2,3-DPG, Hb,ATP and glucose were changed compared to placebo. In vivo study, after administration of pentoxifylline 300 mg per day orally for 4 weeks to seven patients with COPD, P50 increased significantly from 29.0 +/- 0.6 to 30.4 +/- 0.6 Torr (p less than 0.05) and 2,3-DPG increased slightly from 11.67 +/- 0.56 to 14.33 +/- 1.12 mumol/gHb (p less than 0.1). These results suggest that pentoxifylline reduces hemoglobin-oxygen affinity by increasing 2,3-DPG and improves oxygen delivery to the tissues in patients with COPD.