Platelet-activating factor: a mediator for clinicians

Platelet activating factor revisited.

Platelet-activating factor.

Platelet-activating factor is a phospholipid with diverse potent physiological effects. Its actions are achieved at concentrations as low as IO-‘” M in some systems and almost always by lo-’ M as an intercellular messenger. The molecular structure of PAF was discovered through parallel investigations of two different biological activities: a factor in the blood of rabbits undergoing anaphylaxis...

Platelet-activating factor.

Our ability to chemically characterize and synthesize this autacoid of allergy and inflammation has given us a unique opportunity to study these important molecules in a highly disciplined fashion. It has also opened the door to a vista of research approaches to define PAF's normal physiologic role as well as its actions as an immunopathologic mediator. Recent work is described.

Characterization of the Phospholipid Platelet-Activating Factor As a Mediator of Inflammation in Chickens

Lipid mediators are known to play important roles in the onset and resolution phases of the inflammatory response in mammals. The phospholipid platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a pro-inflammatory lipid mediator which participates in vascular- and innate immunity-associated processes by increasing vascular permeability, by facilitating leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium, and by contributing...

Opposing effects of platelet-activating factor and lyso-platelet-activating factor on neutrophil and platelet activation.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent, bioactive phospholipid that acts on multiple cells and tissues through its G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). PAF is not stored but is rapidly generated via enzymatic acetylation of the precursor 1-O-hexadecyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lysoPAF). The bioactivity of PAF is effectively and tightly regulated by PAF acetylhydrolases, which c...