Protective effects and mechanism of Pentoxifylline on rats with renal interstitial fibrosis following unilateral ureteral obstruction

Objective To investigate the protective effects and mechanism of Pentoxifylline(PTX) on rats with renal interstitial fibrosis following unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO).Methods The rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: Sham operation group(group A),UUO group(group B),Enalapril group(group C),PTX group(group D) and PTX plus Enalapril group(group E).On the 3th,7th and 14th day after operation,5 rats of each group were sacrificed by exsanguinations,respectively.The concentration of hydroxyproline was measured,and the ratio of collagen and renal weight was tested.The expressions of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1(TIMP-1),vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),bone morphogenetic protein-7(BMP-7),NF-κB and CD34 were measured by immunohistochemistry.The peritubular capillary index(PCI) was regarded as the expression of CD34.Results The ratio of collagen and renal weight in the rats of group B was higher than that of other 4 groups(P0.05).On the 7th day after operation,the PCI was lower in group B than that of other groups(P0.05).On the 14th day after operation,the expression of VEGF in group B was lower than that of groups D and E(P0.05).On the 7th day,the expression of BMP-7 in group B was lower than group C,D and E(P0.05).The expression of NF-κB was higher in group B than that of other groups(P0.05).On the 14th day,the expression of TGF-β1 in group E was lower than that of group C(P0.05).The expression of TIMP-1 in group B was higher than that of group C and D on the 3th and 7th days after operation(P0.05).Conclusion The treatment of Pentoxifylline is involved in the renal protection by inhibiting the renal interstitial fibrosis of UUO rats,improving blood provide and up-regulating the expression of anti-fibrosis factors,the effects of which are similar to Enalapril.