Platelet-Activating Factor Receptor Plays a Role in Lung Injury and Death Caused by Influenza A in Mice

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001171
• Publication Date: 2010-11-04T19:49:17Z
• Authors: Cristiana C. Garcia; Remo C. Russo; Rodrigo Guabiraba; Caio T. Fagundes; Rafael B. Polidoro; Luciana P. Tavares; Ana Paula C. Salgado; Geovanni D. Cassali; Lirlândia P. Sousa; Alexandre V. Machado; Mauro M. Teixeira
• Keywords: Platelet-activating factor receptor

Influenza A virus causes annual epidemics which affect millions of people worldwide. recent pandemic brought new awareness over the health impact disease. It is thought that a severe inflammatory response against contributes to disease severity and death. Therefore, modulating effects mediators may represent therapy infection. Platelet activating factor (PAF) receptor (PAFR) deficient mice were used evaluate role gene in model experimental infection with A/WSN/33 H1N1 or reassortant H3N1 subtype. The following parameters evaluated: lethality, cell recruitment airways, lung pathology, viral titers cytokine levels lungs. PAFR antagonist PCA4248 was also after onset flu symptoms. Absence antagonism caused significant protection flu-associated lethality injury. Protection correlated decreased neutrophil recruitment, edema, vascular permeability There no increase load greater NK1.1(+) cells. Antibody responses similar WT PAFR-deficient animals protected from re-infection. induces enzyme synthesizes PAF, lyso-PAF acetyltransferase, an effect linked activation TLR7/8. it suggested disease-associated plays important driving influx damage two subtypes A. Further studies should investigate whether targeting be useful reduce pathology associated humans.