Involvement of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in endotoxin- or ischaemia-induced intestinal hyperpermeability in the rat.

We have investigated the influence of BN 50727, a PAF antagonist, and allopurinol, a free radical scavenger, on the damaging effects of ischaemia-reperfusion and endotoxin in the small intestinal mucosa. Using a rat experimental model, we determined the alterations in intestinal permeability and mucosal levels of PAF and lysoPAF following ischaemia or intravenous administration of endotoxin. Both of these treatments increased intestinal permeability and enhanced PAF levels in the mucosa. Preventive oral or intraduodenal administration of BN 50727 reduced both of these effects, by decreasing mucosal PAF formation, probably as a result of neutrophil infiltration and activation reduction. Pretreatment of the rats with allopurinol also resulted in similar protection except that the free radical scavenger was unable to inhibit the increase in PAF levels after ischaemia, suggesting that oxidative reagents are implicated in this pathology to a much greater extent than PAF.

Modulation of eosinophil recruitment in the rat by the platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonist, BN 52021, the somatostatin analog, BIM 23014, and by cyclosporin A.

The factors responsible for in vivo eosinophil recruitment are poorly defined, although T-lymphocytes appear to be involved in the etiology of eosinophilia. In order to clarify this relationship, we studied the modulation of eosinophil mobilization in the rat after immune challenge, by chronic treatment with the PAF-antagonist, BN 52021, the somatostatin analog, BIM 23014 and with Cyclosporin A (CsA). In rats made hypereosinophilic by pretreatment with cyclophosphamide or sephadex, a significant increase of the eosinophil count in blood and peritoneal fluid was induced by anaphylactic reaction. CsA totally abolished both hypereosinophilia and peritoneal eosinophil infiltration. BIM 23014 also, significantly reduced the circulating eosinophils (-68%, p less than 0.001) and cell infiltration (-86%, p less than 0.05). In contrast, BN 52021 decreased peritoneal eosinophil recruitment, while having relatively little effect on circulating cells. CsA and somatostatin are known to affect T-cell proliferation, and as T-cells are involved in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells into eosinophils, these drugs could decrease eosinophil availability for recruitment. In contrast, the PAF antagonist may act by inhibiting PAF-induced eosinophil chemotaxis, providing a more specific inhibition of this process than that exerted by CsA, BIM 23014 and other immunosuppressive agents.

Modulation by drugs of eosinophil recruitment induced by immune challenge in the rat. Possible roles of interleukin 5 and platelet-activating factor.

The factors responsible for eosinophil recruitment are poorly defined, although both platelet-activating factor (PAF) and cytokines appear to be involved in regulating this process. We compared eosinophil mobilization induced by PAF or antigen injection in the peritoneal cavity of hypereosinophilic rats and the effects of the PAF antagonist BN 52021, the somatostatin analog BIM 23014, and cyclosporin A on this process. PAF induced a significant increase of both peritoneal and circulating eosinophil count. Cyclosporin A almost totally abrogated these variations, whereas BN 52021 reduced the peritoneal increase. Similarly to PAF, peritoneal antigen challenge in actively sensitized animals increased peritoneal and circulating eosinophil counts. Cyclosporin A abolished both hypereosinophilia and peritoneal eosinophil infiltration. BIM 23014 reduced the circulating eosinophils and cell infiltration. In contrast, BN 52021 primarily decreased peritoneal eosinophil recruitment, while having little effect on circulating cells. The different mechanisms of action of these drugs and the involvement of interleukin 5 in eosinophil recruitment are discussed.

Protective effect of the PAF-antagonist BN 52021 on several models of gastro-intestinal mucosal damage in rats.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) has been shown to induce gastro-intestinal damage similar to that evoked by endotoxin, suggesting that this mediator may be involved in the formation of gastrointestinal lesions observed in various pathologies. Thus, the effects of BN 52021, a specific PAF antagonist, were investigated in several experimental models of gastro-intestinal damage in rats. BN 52021 markedly reduced the gastric alterations and almost totally abolished the intestinal lesions induced by PAF. Similarly, BN 52021 reduced gastro-intestinal damage induced by endotoxin, but it afforded less protection against endotoxin-induced changes than those caused by PAF. This difference is probably due to the multicomponent activating effect of endotoxin. In the cold restraint stress model, BN 52021 decreased both gastro-intestinal lesions and the change in plasma transaminase level. The results presented in this paper confirm the role of PAF in gastro-intestinal damage induced by endotoxin but also suggest the involvement of this mediator in stress-induced lesions. PAF-antagonists could thus be of therapeutic use in such pathologies.

Role of neutrophils in gastric damage induced by platelet activating factor.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) has recently been shown to be a potent ulcerogenic agent in the stomach and intestinal mucosa. Its extract mechanism of action is not yet known although histological studies suggest that vasocongestion is an important feature of PAF-induced damage. We have therefore studied the activity of various agents with different modes of action toward PAF-induced gastrointestinal lesions in the rat (PAF 2 micrograms/kg i.v.; macroscopic lesions of tissue scored 20 min later; arbitrary scale from 0 to 4). Drugs were administered either i.m., s.c. (5 min) or orally (30 min) before PAF injection. PAF-induced gastric lesions were strongly inhibited by the natural PAF-antagonist BN 52021 as well as by atropine sulphate and cimetidine which implicates cholinergic stimulation in the ulcerogenic activity of PAF. The somatostatin analog BIM 23014 was also very potent against PAF, perhaps by reducing the parasympathetic stimulation in the gastric wall as described for somatostatin. Allopurinol, which is a free radical scavenger also almost totally inhibited PAF-induced gastric damage, suggesting that neutrophils are involved in the mucosal lesions. The considerable inhibition of the gastric effects of PAF found in neutrophil-depleted animal supports this hypothesis. Theophylline and disodium cromoglycate, mast cell stabilizing drugs which were also active in our model, could act by protecting mast cell degranulation induced by free radicals released from activated neutrophils. A multifunctional process seems to determine the mucosal gastric damage induced by PAF, but parasympathetic stimulation and neutrophil activation play a major role in this pathology.