Within 20 min after intraperitoneal injection of Salmonella enteritidis endotoxin in rats, blood platelet-activating factor (PAF) increased from 4.3 +/- 1.3 to 13.7 +/- 2.0 ng/ml (P less than 0.01) and lung PAF from 32.3 +/- 4.9 to 312.3 +/- 19.6 ng (P less than 0.01), but not lung lavage PAF. We tested the effect of PAF receptor antagonists, CV 3988 and SRI 63-441, on endotoxin-induced hemodynamic changes and lung vascular injury. Pretreatment with CV 3988 attenuated systemic hypotension, preserved hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, and prolonged survival of awake catheter-implanted endotoxin-treated (20 mg/kg) rats. Pretreatment with SRI 63-441 prevented the depressed hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction after low dose (2 mg/kg) endotoxin. Both CV 3988 and SRI 63-441 blocked the increased extravascular accumulation of 125I-albumin and water in perfused lungs isolated from endotoxin-treated rats. We conclude that PAF is produced in the lung during endotoxemia and may be an important mediator of the systemic and pulmonary hemodynamic changes as well as the acute lung vascular injury after endotoxemia.