Hypothesis: Pentoxifylline explores new horizons in treatment of preeclampsia

Abstract

Preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal morbidity and perinatal mortality, initiates as inappropriate immune response to trophoblastic invasion impairs placentation and placental circulation. A poorly perfused placenta generates superoxide anions as well as anti-angiogenic factors and this series of events result in impairment of endothelial function, followed by maternal morbidities such as hypertension, kidney injury and proteinuria. Renal loss of anti-coagulant proteins and subsequent hyper-coagulable state along with endothelial dysfunction accelerates progression of the disease toward eclampsia. Since Pentoxifylline, a methyl-xanthine derivative known for enhancement of vascular endothelial function, down-regulation of many inflammatory cytokines increased during preeclampsia, improvement of placental circulation, reduction of ischemia-reperfusion injury, enhancement of vasodilatation and endothelial function, ameliorating proteinuria, inhibition of platelet aggregation and decreasing risk of preterm labor, which are all amongst morbidities of preeclampsia, here it is hypothesized that Pentoxifylline prevents development of preeclampsia and/or decelerate progression of the disease.