Role of Pentoxifylline as an Adjuvant Therapy for Adult Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

Pentoxifylline as a New Adjuvant in Adult Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial.

This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic benefits of pentoxifylline (PTX) in treatment of adult patients with MDD as it has anti-inflammatory and phosphodiastrase inhibition activities.

In this study, the investigators evaluated the potential antidepressant effect of PTX in adult patients with MDD. the investigators hypothesized that MDD patients taking add-on PTX would present greater amelioration of their depressive symptoms than patients taking add-on placebo. Furthermore, the investigators assessed the relationship between HAM-D score and several peripheral biomarkers as well as their role in diagnosis and therapeutic targets of MDD.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Eighty adult outpatients with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) diagnosis of MDD based on a MINI Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) (American Psychiatric Association., 2000; Sheehan et al., 1998), without psychotic features and a total 17 item HAM-D score of at least 18 with item 1 (depressed mood) scored 2 or greater were eligible (Hamilton, 1960).
• Patients were requested to be free of all the psychotropic and anti-inflammatory medications for at least 4 weeks before participating in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with bipolar I or bipolar II disorder
• Patients with personality disorders
• Patients with eating disorders
• Patients with substance dependence or abuse
• Patients with concurrent active medical condition
• Patients with history of seizures
• Patients with history of receiving Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
• Patients with inflammatory disorders
• Patients with allergy or contraindications to the used medications
• Patients with finally pregnant or lactating females