The cytokine, pentoxifylline, is a safe and effective way to control tumor necrosis factor–a (TNF-a) in conjunctiva affected by ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP), states an investigation published in the 

, Department of Dermatology, Kasr Aini Hospital, University of Cairo, Egypt, performed a randomized, controlled, comparative, blinded study on 30 patients with various grades of OCP. They were split into 2 randomized groups of 15- group A received pulse steroid and cyclophosphamide therapy. Group B were administered both pulse steroid and cyclophosphamide therapy and intravenous pentoxifylline.

An additional 20 patients were included as the control and had their serum TNF-a level compared to the OCP patients. All patients were assessed clinically, histopathologically, and serologically before and after therapy.

Significant improvement was seen in group B in the clinical and histopathologic evalutation. The serum TNF-a levels in OCP patients pre-therapy were higher compared to the control cases.

After therapy group B patients experienced a significant reduction in serum TNF-a compared to those in group A with 77.4±26.1 to 19.2±15.6 and 50.3±14.3 to 36.2±18.3, respectively.

The study demonstrates the efficacy of pentoxifylline to pulse steroid cyclophosphamide therapy is successful in controlling OCP by reducing TNF-a levels.

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The cytokine, pentoxifylline, is a safe and effective way to control tumor necrosis factor?a (TNF-a) in conjunctiva affected by ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP).