Background: Prolonged fasting exerts anti-inflammatory effects, and pentoxifylline (PTX) has similar immunomodulating properties.
Objective: To compare the influence of feeding status and PTX administration on the course of acute ischemic kidney injury.
Material and methods: Seven days after right-sided nephrectomy and 7 days before renal ischemia, 44 male Sprague-Dawley rats were placed in individual cages with unlimited access to water. Rats were divided into 4 groups; groups Ia and Ib were fed with no limitations, and groups IIa and IIb were fasted for 32 hours before renal ischemia. Ninety minutes before clamping of the left kidney vascular pedicle, rats in groups Ib and IIb and those in groups Ia and IIa, respectively, were given either PTX subcutaneously, 100 mg per kilogram of body weight in 1 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride, or 0.9% sodium chloride only. Biochemical parameters of renal function were estimated at 48 hours after the ischemic event.
Results: Both fasting and PTX administration diminished the degree of ischemia-induced impairment of renal function. The combined effects were additive.
Conclusions: Fasting and treatment with PTX during the preischemic period exerts additive nephroprotective effects in the setting of acute ischemic kidney injury. This finding may be useful in future practices of preservation and kidney transplantation.