Pentoxifylline Effects on Nerve Conduction Velocity and Blood Flow in Diabetic Rats

Pentoxifylline has several actions that improveblood rheology and tissue perfusion and may thereforepotentially be applicable to diabetic neuropathy.The aims of this study were to ascertain whether 2weeks of treatment with pentoxifylline could correctnerve conduction velocity and blood flow deficits in6-week streptozotocin-diabetic rats and to examinewhether the effects were blocked by co-treatmentwith the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, flurbiprofen, orthe nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N^G-nitro-ʟ-arginine. Diabetic deficits in sciatic motor and saphenoussensory nerve conduction velocity were 56.5%and 69.8% corrected, respectively, with pentoxifyllinetreatment. Sciatic endoneurial blood flow wasapproximately halved by diabetes and this deficitwas 50.4% corrected by pentoxifylline. Flurbiprofenco-treatment markedly attenuated these actions ofpentoxifylline on nerve conduction and blood flowwhereas N^G-nitro-ʟ-arginine was without effect.Thus, pentoxifylline treatment confers neurovascularbenefits in experimental diabetic neuropathy,which are linked at least in part to cyclooxygenasemediatedmetabolism.