Pentoxifylline attenuates acute lung injury induced by microemboli.

Pentoxifylline (PTX), a methylxanthine derivative, effectively prevents acute lung injury in different animal models. To investigate whether PTX would attenuate acute lung injury induced by microemboli resulting from treatment with calcium chloride (CaCl2) suspension, an isolated blood-perfused rat lung model was used. Pretreatment with PTX prevented the increase in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), lung weight gain and protein concentration in the lavage fluid after CaCl2 treatment.