COMPARISON OF PLATELET-ACTIVATING-FACTOR ACTIVITY IN NEUTROPHILS FROMHEALTHY DONORS AND PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA

This study was designed to compare platelet-activating factor (PAF)-li ke activity in neutrophils obtained from patients with bronchial asthm a with neutrophils obtained from healthy donors. The neutrophils were stimulated with 10 mu M formyl-methionyleucylphenylalanine for 15 minu tes. PAF-like activity was detected by aggregation using washed guinea pig platelets. PAF-like activity released from neutrophils of patient s with asthma was 23 +/- 10.7 %/10(6) cells (mean +/- SD) in the super natants and 90 +/- 8.8 %/10(6) cells in the cells. PAF-like activity r eleased from neutrophils of healthy donors was 9 +/- 4.9 %/10(6) cells in the supernatants and 27 +/- 7.3 %/10(6) cells in the cells. Result s of this study show that PAF-like activity is greater in neutrophils of patients with asthma than in neutrophils of healthy donors, suggest ing that neutrophils of patients with bronchial asthma release more PA F and are involved in development of the disease.