Pentoxifylline fails to attenuate fibrosis in dystrophic (mdx) diaphragm muscle

Fibrosis is a common pathological feature observed in muscle from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and in mdx diaphragm. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pentoxifylline (PTX) treatment for 4 weeks (16 mg/kg/day) could significantly attenuate the process of fibrosis in diaphragm muscle from mdx mice. PTX treatment had no impact on in vitro diaphragm muscle contractile function. In addition, diaphragm muscle hydroxyproline concentration and the level of type I and III collagen and TGF-β1 mRNA were unaffected by PTX treatment. These findings do not support the use of PTX as an antifibrotic drug for the treatment of muscular dystrophy.