Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a bioactive phospholipid (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) synthesized by a variety of mammalian cell types. PAF induces hypotension, and activates neutrophils and platelets, among other actions. Removal of the acetyl moiety abolishes biological activity, so this reaction may regulate the concentration of PAF and its physiological effects. We h...

We compared combination therapy with low-dose aspirin plus ticlopidine to therapy with aspirin alone or ticlopidine alone in patients suffering transient ischemic attack or cerebral infarction. In 17,24, and 23 patients, respectively, 300 mg/day aspirin, 200 nig/day ticlopidine, and 81 mg/day aspirin plus 100 mg/day ticlopidine were administered orally. Aspirin alone markedly inhibited platelet...

The role of tyrosine kinases in the responses of human neutrophils to chemotactic factors was examined using the recently described inhibitor erbstatin. Pre-incubation with erbstatin decreased the amount of tyrosine phosphorylation induced by the formylated oligopeptide formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMet-Leu-Phe) without effecting the binding of [3H]-fMet-Leu-Phe. Erbstatin also dose-d...