Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Here, we developed a model to study the early stage of PAH in SCD. We exposed wild-type and transgenic sickle cell SAD (Hbb(s)/Hbb(s)) mice to hypoxia (8% O(2)) for 7 days. Prolonged hypoxia in SAD mice only induced 1) increased neutrophil count in both bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and peripheral circulation; 2) increased BAL IL1beta, IL10, IL6, and TNF-alpha; and 3) up-regulation of the genes endothelin-1, cyclo-oxygenase-2, angiotensin-converting-enzyme, and IL-1beta, suggesting that amplified inflammatory response and activation of the endothelin-1 system may contribute to the early phase of PAH in SCD. Since phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are involved in pulmonary vascular tone regulation, we evaluated gene expression of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) isoforms and of PDE-1, -2, -3, -7, -8, which are the main cyclic-adenosine-monophosphate hydrolyzing enzymes. In SAD mouse lungs, prolonged hypoxia significantly increased PDE-4 and -1 gene expressions. The PDE-4 inhibitor, rolipram, prevented the hypoxia-induced PDE-4 and -1 gene up-regulation and interfered with the development of PAH, most likely through modulation of both vascular tone and inflammatory factors. This finding supports a possible therapeutic use of PDEs inhibitors in the earlier phases of PAH in SCD.