Pentoxifylline [RBC deformability modulator] and glucose homeostasis

ABSTRACT

Oral glucose tolerance test with the estimation of S. glucose S. insulin, and S. C-peptide was carried out in 10 non-insulin dependent patients and 8 healthy control patient before and after the administration of oral dose of 400 mg pentoxifylline twice daily for 2 weeks. The diabetic patients were controlled by glibenclamide. Statistical analysis of the results revealed that pentoxifylline caused increase in the serum glucose which persisted inspite of the simultaneous increased levels of serum insulin and c-peptide all through the curve both in the control and diabetics. There could be two possible explanations for these results either pentoxifylline causes release of other diabetogenic hormones which neutralizes the insulin effect, or pentoxifylline blocks or decreases the post-receptor action of insulin by increasing the level of CAMP intracellularly and hence glucose utilization at cellular level