Trial reportPLoS neglected tropical diseases2025
Effects of pentoxifylline in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy: A randomized, double-blind, controlled pilot trial.
Trial report in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Dynamics and functional heterogeneity of FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in Trypanosoma cruzi infection: a systematic review.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) is a major public health issue in endemic areas of Latin America, representing one of the leading causes of heart failure and sudden death. The hallmark histopathological lesion of CCC is low-intensity, persistent myocarditis associated with cytokine production. Long-term use of pentoxifylline (PTX) may serve as an effective pharmacological intervention for immunomodulation, reducing inflammation and, consequently, diminishing myocardial perfusion abnormalities and thus preserving left ventricular systolic function.
methodsWe investigated 38 patients with CCC, randomly assigned to PTX (n = 19), 400 mg 3 times a day for 6 months, or placebo (PLC) (n = 19). At baseline and post-treatment, patients underwent cytokine measurements, quality of life assessment, 2D echocardiography, and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. After treatment, TNF-α levels in the PTX group decreased from 10.14 ± 5.5 to 8.32 ± 3.6 and from 9.12 ± 4.4 to 10.32 ± 8.5 in the PLC group (p = 0.06). Additionally, IL-10 levels increased from 2.74 ± 0.7 to 5.61 ± 8.6 in the PTX group, while in the placebo group, they decreased from 6.96 ± 11.8 to 5.50 ± 8.3 (p = 0.09); neither of these findings reached statistical significance. Also, no significant changes were observed in the echocardiographic variables after treatment. LVEF showed a modest change from 46.2% ± 7.9 to 47.4% ± 7.0 in the PTX group and from 48.2% ± 6.6 to 48.0% ± 6.9 in the PLC group (p = 0.37). No significant positive effects on myocardial perfusion were noted. However, the quality-of-life assessment documented a significant improvement of functional capacity in the PTX group.
conclusionsThe results of this study suggest a potential positive effect of PTX in modulating the inflammatory profile of CCC patients. However, use of pentoxifylline in these patients did not attenuate the degree of ventricular dysfunction or reduce myocardial perfusion defects.
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