PHARMACODYNAMICS: IN VITRO DATA
Microglial Cells
Propentofylline has been demonstrated to inhibit potentially neurotoxic functions of
pathologically activated microglia (Table 3). In in vitro experiments using primary
cultures of rat or mouse brain microglial cells, propentofylline (50 pM) significantly
inhibited microglia proliferation (68) as well as free oxygen radical formation (3) and
secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) (71). Inhibition of free oxygen radical
production was also seen in peripheral macrophages derived from the rat perito-