Possible involvement of platelet-activating factor in the induction of liver cell injury.

In order to examine whether the platelet-activating factor (PAF) plays a role in the induction of liver cell injury, the effects of a PAF antagonist were studied in an experimental model of mice with acute liver cell injury induced by intravenous injection of heat-killed Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) and lipopolysaccharide. As a result, an intravenous injection of the PAF antagonist was shown to improve the histological changes in the liver, reducing the degree of focal tissue necrosis. In addition, liver adherent cells isolated from normal mice and from those pretreated with P. acnes were shown to produce PAF by stimulation with calcium ionophore A 23187. These results suggested that PAF produced by liver adherent cells may be involved in the induction of liver cell injury.