Effects of pentoxifylline on in-vitro development of preimplantation mouse embryos

In-vitro culture of 1-cell mouse embryos was used to assess the influence of pentoxifylline or early embryonic development. If cultured in concentrations of 5, 10 or 50 microM, early embryonic development was unaffected and no differences in cell numbers were noted in embryos reaching the blastocyst stage. However, at 3.6 and 7.2 mM, pentoxifylline inhibited cleavage from the 2-cell stage onwards. If 1-cell mouse embryos were exposed for only 30 min to these concentrations, blastocyst formation was found to be morphologically normal. However, cell numbers of such blastocysts were significantly decreased after exposure to pentoxifylline. These results may indicate that exposure of gametes or zygotes to pentoxifylline should be avoided as much as possible when this drug is used in human assisted reproduction. If administered at regular therapeutic doses, it is probable that no adverse effect on early embryonic development in vivo will occur. Further research is needed to confirm and elucidate the above findings.