Pentoxifylline (PTX), a non-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor, has
demonstrated protective effects against lung injury in animal models. Given the
significance of pulmonary toxicity resulting from paraquat (PQ) exposure, the
present investigation was designed to explore the impact of PTX on PQ-induced
pulmonary oxidative impairment in male mice.Following preliminary studies, thirty-six mice were divided into six groups.
Group 1 received normal saline, group 2 received a single dose of PQ (20 mg/kg;
i.p.), and group 3 received PTX (100 mg/kg/day; i.p.). Additionally, treatment
groups 4–6 were received various doses of PTX (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day;
respectively) one hour after a single dose of PQ. After 72 hours, the animals
were sacrificed, and lung tissue was collected.PQ administration caused a significant decrease in hematocrit and an increase in
blood potassium levels. Moreover, a notable increase was found in the lipid
peroxidation (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels, along
with a notable decrease in total thiol (TTM) and total antioxidant capacity
(TAC) contents, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes activity
in lung tissue. PTX demonstrated the ability to improve hematocrit levels;
enhance SOD activity and TTM content; and decrease MPO activity, LPO and NO
levels in PQ-induced pulmonary toxicity. Furthermore, these findings were
well-correlated with the observed lung histopathological changes.In conclusion, our results suggest that the high dose of PTX may ameliorate lung
injury by improving the oxidant/antioxidant balance in animals exposed to
PQ.