Bacterial translocation (BT) occurs mainly in preseptic conditions such as intestinal obstruction, trauma, and burn, and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a derivative of methyl xanthine and has several beneficial effects in sepsis. We investigated the effects of PTX on a rat BT model. Simple intestinal obstruction (IO) was choosen to create high BT rates. Rats were divided in to five groups of 10 rats. Either 50 mg/kg PTX or placebo (3 mg/100 g saline) was administered subcutaneously following IO, either by single injection or twice with a 12-h interval. All rats were sacrificed 12 or 24 h after the procedure, and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), liver, and blood samples were obtained under aseptic conditions for bacterial cultures. The samples were obtained 12 h following IO in the first two groups, and the same samples were obtained 24 h after IO in last three groups. Groups IV and V were the PTX treatment groups. PTX was re-injected 12 h after IO only in group IV. As a result, BT rates in MLNs and liver were found to be significantly low, blood specimens remained sterile in PTX-pretreated and -treated rats, and BT rates were high in control groups and group V (once treatment late specimen group). We conclude that simple intestinal obstruction causes BT, and PTX reduces BT in rats with IO during the first 12-h period if PTX is given once immediately following IO. PTX reduces BT during the first 24-h after IO provided that is injected twice with a 12-h interval. More experimental studies are need to explain the exact mechanism of this beneficial effect.