Effect of Long-Term Treatment with Platelet-Activating Factor on Cytokine Production by Rat Spleen Cells

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Abstract
The long-term in vivo effect of platelet-activating factor (PAF) production of interleukin-1 and -2 (IL-1, IL-2) was investigated. Alzet infusion minipumps loaded with PAF or solvent were placed under the back skin of Sprague-Dawley rats and connected to the jugular vein. Lymphocytes from animals having received 1, 4.5 or 9 μg PAF/7 days showed an increased capacity to produce IL-1 and IL-2. In contrast, splenocytes from rats receiving 28 μg PAF/7 days exhibited decreased capacity to produce IL-1, whereas IL-2 was unaffected. The decrease in IL-1 synthesis induced by 28 μg PAF and the increase in IL-2 production evoked by 1 μg PAF were not observed in rats treated daily with the PAF antagonist, BN 52021. Thus, PAF appears to play a role in the regulation of the immune response. The reversal of the effect of PAF by BN 52021 indicates that the mediator is acting via specific binding sites similar to those reported on other cell types. These data also suggest that PAF antagonists may be used as immunomodulatory drugs.

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