[Determination of plasma level of platelet activating factor in cirrhotic patients and its relation to endotoxemia].

The plasma levels of platelet activating factor (PAF) were measured in 27 decompensated cirrhotic patients and 11 controls, using platelet aggregation bioassay. At the same time, the levels of endotoxin were also measured. The results showed that the levels of plasma PAF in decompensated cirrhotic patients were higher than those in the controls (5.34 +/- 1.94 ng/ml:1.18 +/- 0.24 ng/ml, P less than 0.01), and were higher in the cirrhotic patients with endotoxemia than in those without endotoxemia (6.19 +/- 2.21 ng/ml:3.89 +/- 0.92 ng/ml, P less than 0.01). The level of plasma PAF is related significantly to the level of endotoxin (r = 0.67, P less than 0.01)). We conclude that plasma PAF is increased in cirrhotic patients, especially in those with endotoxemia, and PAF could be involved in the pathophysiological changes in endotoxemia and other complications of cirrhosis.