Platelet-activating factor (PAF, 1-O-alkyl-(2R)-acetylglycero-3-phosphocholine) is a potent inflammatory mediator whose actions on bone cells have not been investigated previously. In this study, we examined effects of PAF on osteoclast morphology and intracellular free calcium. Osteoclasts, the large multinucleated cells responsible for bone resorption, were isolated from neonatal rat long bon...

OBJECTIVES The purposes of this study were to evaluate the atrial electrophysiology and autonomic nervous system in patients who had paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) associated with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). BACKGROUND PAF frequently appeared in patients with PSVT. However, the critical determinants for the occurrence of PAF were not clear. METHODS This study popul...

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to tumour heterogeneity, therapy resistance and metastasis. However, the regulatory mechanisms of cancer cell stemness remain elusive. Here we identify PCNA-associated factor (PAF) as a key molecule that controls cancer cell stemness. PAF is highly expressed in breast cancer cells but not in mammary epithelial cells (MECs). In MECs, ectopic expression of PAF ...

Diabetes mellitus is associated with several abnormalities of platelet function. Recent studies have shown that the blood level of platelet activating factor (PAF), a potent inducer of platelet aggregation, is elevated in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and remains unchanged in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients. However, the mechanism of this increase in PAF le...

BACKGROUND Among the pro-inflammatory lipid mediators, platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a major primary and secondary messenger that binds to the PAF-receptor (PAFR). Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a polypeptide growth factor that binds to the EGF-receptor (EGFR). Evidence suggests that both PAF and EGF play a significant role in oncogenic transformation, tumor growth, neoangiogenesis and ...

Plasma platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) hydrolyzes PAF and oxidized phospholipids and is associated with lipoproteins in the circulation. Endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)], a potent inducer of the acute phase response (APR), produces marked changes in several proteins that play important roles in lipoprotein metabolism. We now demonstrate that LPS produces a 2.5- to 3-fold...

Pulsatile release of uterine prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α) induces luteolysis in ruminants. However, the mechanism(s) that initiates and maintains luteolysis has not been defined. The present study tested the hypothesis that the endogenous PGF2α pulse generator is uterine-derived platelet-activating factor (PAF). Ovariectomized ewes were given exogenous progesterone (P), estradiol (E), or both (P+E,...

Murine tumor necrosis factor (mTNF) stimulates production of platelet-activating factor (PAF) by cultured rat peritoneal macrophages in amounts comparable to those formed during treatment with the calcium ionophore A23187 or phagocytosis of zymosan. The cell-associated PAF that was released into the medium was identical to synthetic PAF, as determined with physicochemical, chromatographic, and ...

Clinical studies suggest that Helicobacter pylori may play a role in the pathogenesis of gastroduodenal ulcers in man but direct evidence of mucosal injury by this microorganism is still lacking. Paf-acether (paf) causes a number of disorders including ischaemic bowel necrosis and gastroduodenal ulceration. Since paf is produced by Escherichia coli, we investigated whether it could be synthesis...

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent inflammatory mediator that participates in the pathogenesis of proteinuria and glomerular damage. However, the role of this lipid in glomerular sclerosis remains unknown. This study examines the effect of PAF on the regulation of extracellular matrix proteins by rat and human mesangial cells. PAF increased in a dose-dependent manner the gene expressi...