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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Comprehensive Analysis of Procoagulant Platelets Exhibiting Features of Necrosis, Apoptosis and Platelet Activation
Published on: May 23, 2025
Lipopolysaccharide and platelet-activating factor stimulate expression of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase
Katherine M Howard1, Mohammed Abdel-Al, Marcia Ditmyer
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine, 1001 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106, USA. Katherine.howard@unlv.edu
Objectives:
This study was designed to investigate and characterize the ability of platelet-activating factor (PAF) to induce the expression of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH).
Methods:
Ribonuclease protection assays and quantitative real-time PCR were used to investigate the ability of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and PAF to regulate PAF-AH mRNA expression in human monocyte-macrophage 6 (MM6) cells. Pharmacological inhibitors of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) and PAF receptor antagonists were used to investigate the mechanism of regulation of PAF-AH.
Results:
PAF-AH mRNA levels were increased upon exposure to LPS or PAF in a dose-dependent manner. LPS elicited a more potent and rapid increase in PAF-AH expression than the PAF-stimulated response. However, when administered concomitantly, PAF augmented the LPS-stimulated response. LPS-stimulated PAF-AH expression was susceptible to partial inhibition by a p38 MAPK inhibitor and PAF receptor antagonists. PAF-induced up-regulation of PAF-AH levels was solely mediated via the PAF receptor and was p38 MAPK-independent.
Conclusion:
The proinflammatory mediators, LPS and PAF, increased levels of PAF-AH mRNA via distinct signaling pathways.
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