Surgery
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Blood transfusion is a risk factor for many inflammatory processes. Its supernatant fraction has been proven to activate neutrophils. We hypothesized that pentoxifylline (PTX) would attenuate stored blood-induced neutrophil activation and pro-inflammatory mediator production. ⋯ PTX downregulates CD66b and TNF-alpha expression in supernatant-induced whole blood. Because blood transfusion can contribute to inflammatory injury, the adjunctive use of PTX may have therapeutic potential.