The influence of the
phospholipid platelet-activating factor (PAF), its cell analogs, and
lipid PAF antagonist on the production of
superoxide radicals by leukocytes isolated from the blood of healthy and
hypercholesterolemia IIA individuals was studied. It was found that endogenous
superoxide production level in the leukocytes of hypercholesterolemic individuals more than 4-5 times higher than in the leukocytes of healthy individuals. Exogenous PAF stimulates the
superoxide production in the leukocytes of healthy individuals but significantly inhibits the
superoxide production in the leukocytes of hypercholesterolemic individuals. The compounds
1-acyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (1-acyl-PAF) and 1-alk-1;-enyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-
phosphocholine (1-alkenyl-PAF) only slightly inhibited the endogenous
superoxide production in the leukocytes of
hypercholesterolemia individuals. However, pretreatment of leukocytes by 1-alkenyl-PAF or PAF-antagonist (1-O-alk-1;-enyl-2-(2;-acetoxybenzoyl)-sn-glycero-3-
phosphocholine) results in a 50% inhibition of the PAF-induced
superoxide production by leukocytes of healthy individuals. This PAF-antagonist alone or in combination with PAF induces a substantial (65-70%) inhibition of
superoxide production in the leukocytes of hypercholesterolemic individuals. It is concluded that
superoxide production by leukocytes of healthy individuals and especially by leukocytes of hypercholesterolemic individuals is process that depends on PAF or PAF-like
lipids.