ReviewPharmacology research & perspectives2020
Hypothesis: Pentoxifylline is a potential cytokine modulator therapeutic in COVID-19 patients.
Review in Pharmacology research & perspectives, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
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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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring pentoxifylline as an alternative treatment for dexamethasone in diabetic patients with COVID-19: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of medical research · 2025Trial
- Pentoxifylline decreases serum LDH levels and increases lymphocyte count in COVID-19 patients: Results from an external pilot study.International immunopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Colo-Protective Effects of Pentoxifylline Alone or in Combination With Mesalamine in Colitis Through Sphingosine Kinase 1/Sphingosine 1 Phosphate, and Zonula Occuldin 1 Pathways: New Molecular Approach.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2025Article
- Navigating the Neuroimmunomodulation Frontier: Pioneering Approaches and Promising Horizons-A Comprehensive Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- The effect of pentoxifylline and different types of exercise training on coagulation factors in a rat endometriosis model.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2024Article
- Single-cell transcriptomes reveal heterogeneity of chlorine-induced mice acute lung injury and the inhibitory effect of pentoxifylline on ferroptosis.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Combined atorvastatin and pentoxifylline in ameliorating inflammation induced by complete Freund's adjuvant.Inflammopharmacology · 2022Article
- A raising dawn of pentoxifylline in management of inflammatory disorders in Covid-19.Inflammopharmacology · 2022Review
- Could cilostazol be beneficial in COVID-19 treatment? Thinking about phosphodiesterase-3 as a therapeutic target.International immunopharmacology · 2021Review
- Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors in Acute Lung Injury: What Are the Perspectives?International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Efficacy and Effect of Inhaled Adenosine Treatment in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Article
- Hypothesis: Pentoxifylline is a potential cytokine modulator therapeutic in COVID-19 patients.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2020Review
- Targeting Neutrophils to Treat Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Coronavirus Disease.Frontiers in pharmacology · 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
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
We propose a new hypothesis that the established drug pentoxifylline deserves attention as a potential repurposed therapeutic for COVID-19. Pentoxifylline is an immunomodulator with anti-inflammatory properties. It is a nonselective phosphodiesterase inhibitor and through Adenosine A2A Receptor-mediated pathways reduces tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1, interleukin 6, and interferon gamma and may act to reduce tissue damage during the cytokine storm host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This agent has been used clinically for many years and has a favorable profile of safety and tolerability. Pre-clinical data support pentoxifylline as effective in cytokine-driven lung damage. Clinical studies of pentoxifylline in radiation and cytokine-induced lung damage in humans are positive and consistent with anti-inflammatory efficacy. Pentoxifylline is a readily available, off-patent and inexpensive drug, suitable for large-scale use including in resource-limited countries. Current trials of therapeutics are largely focused on the inhibition of viral processes. We advocate urgent randomized trials of pentoxifylline for COVID-19 as a complementary approach to target the host responses.
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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.