Pentoxifylline in ischemic, hypertensive and idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy: effects on left-ventricular function, inflammatory cytokines and symptoms.

Introduction: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are significantly elevated in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Pentoxifylline, a xanthin-derived agent, is known to inhibit the production of TNF-alpha and IL-6. Recent studies have shown that pentoxifylline produces an increase in ejection fraction, a decrease in left-ventricular chamber size and an improvement in clinical status in patients with idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy.