Pentoxifylline as a therapeutic option for pre-eclampsia: a study on its placental effects.

Background And Purpose: Recently pentoxifylline, a non-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor and adenosine receptor antagonist, has attracted much interest for the treatment of the increased vascular resistance and endothelial dysfunction in pre-eclampsia. We therefore investigated the placental transfer, vascular effects and anti-inflammatory actions of pentoxifylline in healthy and pre-eclamptic human placentas.

Experimental Approach: The placental transfer and metabolism of pentoxifylline were studied using ex vivo placenta perfusion experiments.