Whole blood aggregation and plasma lyso-PAF related to smoking and atherosclerosis

1. Aggregation of diluted whole blood (impedance method) and thromboxane B2 production during aggregation were measured in cigarette smokers and non-smokers, aged 41-68 years, with (n = 14) and without (n = 15) major symptomatic peripheral vascular disease. The plasma level of the lyso derivative of platelet activating factor (lyso-PAF) was also measured using a bioassay with 14C-serotonin labelled rabbit platelets, after extraction and acetylation to active PAF. 2. Aggregation to ADP and collagen was significantly less in non-smokers without vascular disease (n = 8) than in the other three groups (P less than 0.01; ANOVA). Thromboxane B2 production was not significantly different between the groups. There was no significant difference in plasma lyso-PAF between groups. No change was found in any variable after smokers smoked two cigarettes. 3. In these older age subjects, both vascular disease and the smoking habit were associated with greater whole blood aggregation. However, current smoking and the smoking of two cigarettes did not affect aggregation in subjects with vascular disease and plasma lyso-PAF levels were not consistently related to either smoking or vascular disease.