The effects of pentoxifylline on bacterial translocation after intestinal obstruction

Bacterial translocation (BT) occurs mainly in preseptic conditions such as intestinal obstruction, trauma, and burn, and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a derivative of methyl xanthine and has several beneficial effects in sepsis. We investigated the effects of PTX on a rat BT model. Simple intestinal obstruction (IO) was choosen to create high BT rates. Rats were divided in to five groups of 10 rats. Either 50 mg/kg PTX or placebo (3 mg/100 g saline) was administered subcutaneously following IO, either by single injection or twice with a 12-h interval. All rats were sacrificed 12 or 24 h after the procedure, and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), liver, and blood samples were obtained under aseptic conditions for bacterial cultures. The samples were obtained 12 h following IO in the first two groups, and the same samples were obtained 24 h after IO in last three groups. Groups IV and V were the PTX treatment groups. PTX was re-injected 12 h after IO only in group IV. As a result, BT rates in MLNs and liver were found to be significantly low, blood specimens remained sterile in PTX-pretreated and -treated rats, and BT rates were high in control groups and group V (once treatment late specimen group). We conclude that simple intestinal obstruction causes BT, and PTX reduces BT in rats with IO during the first 12-h period if PTX is given once immediately following IO. PTX reduces BT during the first 24-h after IO provided that is injected twice with a 12-h interval. More experimental studies are need to explain the exact mechanism of this beneficial effect.