Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Aug 29;8(9):1338.
doi: 10.3390/jcm8091338.

Platelet-Activating Factor (PAF) in Allergic Rhinitis: Clinical and Therapeutic Implications

Rosa M Muñoz-Cano  1   2   3 , Rocio Casas-Saucedo  4   5   6 , Antonio Valero Santiago  4   5   7 , Irina Bobolea  4   5   7 , Paula Ribó  4   5   7 , Joaquim Mullol  5   7   8
Affiliations
Review

Platelet-Activating Factor (PAF) in Allergic Rhinitis: Clinical and Therapeutic Implications

Rosa M Muñoz-Cano et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a lipid mediator involved in several allergic reactions. It is released from multiple cells of the immune system, such as eosinophils, neutrophils, and mast cells, and also exerts its effect on most of them upon specific binding to its receptor, becoming a pleiotropic mediator. PAF is considered a potential relevant mediator in allergic rhinitis, with a key role in nasal congestion and rhinorrhoea due to its effect on vascular permeability. Interestingly, despite its potential relevance as a therapeutic target, no specific PAF inhibitors have been studied in humans. However, rupatadine, a second-generation antihistamine with dual antihistamine and anti-PAF effects has shown promising results by both blocking nasal symptoms and inhibiting mast cell activation induced by PAF, in comparison to antihistamine receptor drugs. In conclusion, the inhibition of PAF may be an interesting approach in the treatment of allergic rhinitis as part of a global strategy directed at blocking as many relevant inflammatory mediators as possible.

Keywords: PAF antagonist; allergic rhinitis; anaphylaxis; asthma; epinastine; ketotifen; nasal congestion; platelet-activating factor; rupatadine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Importance of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in the early and late phases of allergic response. Adapted from [4] with permission.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of rupatadine, levocetirizine and desloratadine on PAF-induced (A) β-hexosaminidase and (B) histamine release in LAD2 cell line. R: rupatadine; L: levocetirizine; D: desloratadine. [Low]: 5 µM, [Medium]: 10 µM, [High]: 25 µM. * p < 0.05. (+) experimental condition with PAF. (−) experimental condition without PAF.
Figure 3
Figure 3
PAF and PAF-AH levels in respiratory diseases, anaphylaxis and chronic urticaria.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Benveniste J. Platelet-activating factor, a new mediator of anaphylaxis and immune complex deposition from rabbit and human basophils. Nature. 1974;249:581–582. doi: 10.1038/249581a0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Shindou H., Ishii S., Uozumi N., Shimizu T. Roles of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) and platelet-activating factor receptor in the Ca-induced biosynthesis of PAF. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 2000;271:812–817. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.2000.2723. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Morimoto R., Shindou H., Tarui M., Shimizu T. Rapid production of platelet-activating factor is induced by protein kinase Cα-mediated phosphorylation of lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 2 protein. J. Biol. Chem. 2014;289:15566–15576. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M114.558874. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mullol J., Bousquet J., Bachert C., Canonica W.G., Gimenez-Arnau A., Kowalski M.L., Martí-Guadaño E., Maurer M., Picado C., Scadding G., et al. Rupatadine in allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria. Allergy. 2008;63:5–28. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2008.01640.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stafforini D.M. Biology of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH, lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2) Cardiovasc. Drugs Ther. 2009;23:73–83. doi: 10.1007/s10557-008-6133-8. - DOI - PubMed