ArticleMedical hypotheses2020
Repositioning of pentoxifylline as an immunomodulator and regulator of the renin-angiotensin system in the treatment of COVID-19.
Article in Medical hypotheses, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pentoxifylline in COVID-19 and considerations for its research in long COVID.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2024Pooled it
- Comparative effectiveness of pharmacological interventions on mortality and the average length of hospital stay of patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Expert review of anti-infective therapy · 2022Pooled it
- Pentoxifylline effects on hospitalized patients with COVID19: A randomized, double-blind clinical trial.International immunopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Pentoxifylline decreases serum LDH levels and increases lymphocyte count in COVID-19 patients: Results from an external pilot study.International immunopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Effect of pentoxifylline on inflammatory markers in non-diabetic chronic kidney disease patients: A prospective, interventional, open label.World journal of nephrology · 2026Article
- Integrative miRNA-mRNA Network and Molecular Dynamics-Based Identification of Therapeutic Candidates for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Amikacin toxicity revisited: pentoxifylline offers protection in high-risk treatment scenarios.AMB Express · 2025Article
- Small molecule mediators of host-T. cruzi-environment interactions in Chagas disease.PLoS pathogens · 2024Review
- Pentoxifylline Effects on Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Cytokine Storm Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Therapeutic considerations for prevention and treatment of thrombotic events in COVID-19.Thrombosis update · 2023Review
- PDE4 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for improvement of pulmonary dysfunctions in Covid-19 and cigarette smoking.Biochemical pharmacology · 2021Review
- Drug Repurposing in the COVID-19 Era: Insights from Case Studies Showing Pharmaceutical Peculiarities.Pharmaceutics · 2021Review
- Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors in Acute Lung Injury: What Are the Perspectives?International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Pentoxifylline: A Drug with Antiviral and Anti-Inflammatory Effects to Be Considered in the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2021Article
- Pyroptosis: A New Regulating Mechanism in Cardiovascular Disease.Journal of inflammation research · 2021Review
- Hypothesis: Pentoxifylline is a potential cytokine modulator therapeutic in COVID-19 patients.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor that increases cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels, which in turn activate protein kinase, leading to a reduction in the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines to ultimately influence the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in vitro by inhibiting angiotensin 1 receptor (AT1R) expression. The rheological, anti-inflammatory, and renin-angiotensin axis properties of PTX highlight this drug as a therapeutic treatment alternative for patients with COVID-19 by helping reduce the production of the inflammatory cytokines without deleterious effects on the immune system to delay viral clearance. Moreover, PTX can restore the balance of the immune response, reduce damage to the endothelium and alveolar epithelial cells, improve circulation, and prevent microvascular thrombosis. There is further evidence that PTX can improve ventilatory parameters. Therefore, we propose repositioning PTX in the treatment of COVID-19. The main advantage of repositioning PTX is that it is an affordable drug that is already available worldwide with an established safety profile, further offering the possibility of immediately analysing the result of its use and associated success rates. Another advantage is that PTX selectively reduces the concentration of TNF-α mRNA in cells, which, in the case of an acute infectious state such as COVID-19, would seem to offer a more strategic approach.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.