Gestational Age Related Changes in Platelet Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase Activity in Maternal Plasma

Abstract

Platelet activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine, PAF) is a potent hospholipid associated with a diverse spectrum of pathophysiological activities such as inflammation, anaphylaxis, hypotension, platelet aggregation and thrombosis (1). Recently the role of PAF in various physiological processes related to fertilization and embryo implantation, fetal development and parturition has been investigated. PAF is secreted in human and mouse pre-implantation embryos, where it may play an important role as a direct autocrine growth factor (13). Abisogun et al, (12), reported that the PAF receptor antagonist BN 52021, inhibited ovulation in human HCG primed rats. Fetal membranes contain all the necessary enzymes involved in PAF metabolism (4). PAF is detectable in amniotic fluid of women in full term normal labor (5, 6). PAF in amniotic fluid is associated with the 35,000 xg pellet (fraction rich in lamellar bodies), suggesting that fetal lung may be an important sources of PAF (3).