Enhanced degradation of platelet-activating factor in serum from diabetic patients.

The degradation of platelet-activating factor (PAF) and lipid concentrations were measured in sera from 20 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and from 20 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. The PAF-degrading capacity as well as triglycerides and total and very low density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were found to be significantly increased in the patients group, whereas the difference observed in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was statistically nonsignificant. There were also a series of close relationships between the degradation of PAF and some lipid variables in the control group. These results confirm the parallel changes of lipoproteins and PAF-degrading capacity described previously in serum from atherosclerotic patients and extend it to patients suffering from diabetes mellitus.