Gastric microvascular actions of platelet-activating factor: role of leukocytes.

This study examined the effects of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on the gastric microcirculation. We measured changes in vascular resistance and filtration during intra-arterial infusion of graded doses of PAF and its metabolite, lyso-PAF, to an ex vivo gastric segment of alpha-chloralose-anesthetized dogs. PAF produced dose-related sustained increases in vascular resistance (2-150 nM; n = 6). Filtration and venous hematocrit were also both significantly increased by PAF. In contrast, there were no statistically significant changes in these measurements with lyso-PAF (n = 6). Filtration and venous hematocrit were not significantly changed by norepinephrine at doses that increased perfusion pressure to the same degree as PAF (n = 4). PAF also increased filtration in the absence of changes in perfusion pressure (during maximal vasodilation induced with papaverine). Finally, removal of leukocytes from gastric arterial blood significantly attenuated these responses to PAF. Our results suggest that PAF-induced mucosal ischemia is primarily due to vasoconstriction and may involve edema formation due to increased filtration as well. In addition, these responses to PAF appear to be largely dependent on circulating leukocytes.