SELECTIVE-INHIBITION OF VASOCONSTRICTOR RESPONSES BY PLATELET-ACTIVATING-FACTOR IN RAT-KIDNEY

We examined the effect of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on renal vascular reactivity in the pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized male Wistar rat. Intrarenal infusion of C-16-PAF at hypotensive (2.5 ng.min-1.kg-1) or nonhypotensive (0.5 ng.min-1.kg-1) doses caused renal vasodilation and dose dependently antagonized the renal vasoconstrictor responses of intrarenal boluses of angiotensin II (ANG II) > norepinephrine (NE) > vasopressin (AVP). PAF infusion at the high dose did not alter non-receptor-mediated renal vasoconstriction induced by intrarenal KCl injection. The inhibitory effect of PAF on agonist-induced renal vasoconstriction was accentuated by eicosanoid synthesis inhibition (indomethacin or dexamethasone), unaffected by dopamine-receptor blockade (haloperidol) but was totally abolished by PAF receptor antagonism (L-659,989). In contrast, intrarenal infusion of a calcium channel antagonist (nimodipine) or an intracellular calcium channel antagonist (TMB-8) equally inhibited the renal vasoconstrictor responses of ANG II, NE, and AVP. Thus PAF can cause renal vasodilation in the rat kidney and dose-dependently antagonizes the renal vasoconstrictor responses of ANG II > NE > AVP. The inhibitory effect of PAF on renal vasoconstrictor responses is mediated by PAF receptors and does not appear to be due to a nonspecific membrane effect, reduction in calcium mobilization, or the release of vasodilatory eicosanoids or dopamine.