EFFECT OF SRI 63-675 ON HEMODYNAMICS AND BLOOD PAF LEVELS DURING PORCINE ENDOTOXEMIA

We evaluated the effect of SRI 63-675, a specific platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor antagonist, on hemodynamics and PAF biosynthesis during 4 h of porcine endotoxemia. Hexadecyl PAF was extracted from blood, purified by normal-phase and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and quantitated by stable isotope dilution and thermospray mass spectrometry. Infusion of either saline or SRI 63-675 alone caused no change in hexadecyl PAF concentrations. In contrast, endotoxin increased blood hexadecyl PAF concentrations from 1.5 +/- 0.1 ng/ml at 0 h (baseline) to a peak value of 8.3 +/- 1.9 ng/ml at 0.5 h of endotoxemia (P < 0.05). Blood PAF levels gradually declined toward the baseline value after 0.5 h of endotoxemia. Because endotoxin did not modify plasma acetylhydrolase activity ex vivo, the increased hexadecyl PAF levels were probably secondary to increased PAF biosynthesis and not decreased biodegradation. Bioassay of RP-HPLC fractions that were derived from endotoxemic blood and that eluted at a retention time consistent with [H-3]alkyl PAF caused aggregation of washed rabbit platelets that was inhibited by SRI 63-675. The PAF receptor antagonist blocked the 0.5 h endotoxin-induced increase in blood hexadecyl PAF concentration concomitant with blockade of thrombocytopenia. The endotoxin-induced pulmonary hypertension, decreased cardiac index, and increases in pulmonary vascular resistance and alveolar-arterial O2 gradient were attenuated by SRI 63-675. The data suggest that PAF-stimulated PAF biosynthesis may substantially contribute to blood hexadecyl PAF levels and cardiopulmonary dysfunction during the initial phase of endotoxemia.