The protective effect of pentoxifylline in lipopolysacharide-induced acute lung injury in mice

Objective To investigate the protective effect of PTX on mice with acute lung injury(ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) and its mechanism.Methods All mice were randomly divided into four groups with thirty mice in each group:control group,PTX group,LPS group and PTX+LPS group.LPS was injected via the tail vein.At 0 h,1 h,2 h,4 h,8 and 12 h,respectively,lung wet/dry weight(W/D) was recorded to assess lung injury.The lung expression of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) was analyzed by the methods of immunohistochemistry and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-8(IL-8) in lung homogenates were detected by RIA.Meanwhile pathological changes were examined under optical microscope.Results Pretreatment of PTX resulted in ameliorated pathological manifestation,decreased lung wet/dry weight(W/D)as well as reduced expressions of NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-8 compared to LPS group.Conclusion PTX might have a protective effect against ALI through inhibiting NF-κB activation and decreasing the excessive expression of inflammatory cytokines.