title: Role of platelet activating factor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis.
abstract: Because previous investigations have suggested that platelet activating factor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are important mediators of experimental necrotizing enterocolitis in the rat, we measured platelet activating factor, acetylhydrolase (the platelet activating factor breakdown enzyme), and TNF-alpha in the plasma of 12 human neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis and eight age-matched control subjects with similar gestational ages, postnatal ages, and weights. Almost all patients with necrotizing enterocolitis had elevated plasma platelet activating factor values (18.1 +/- 3.6 ng/ml vs. 3.1 +/- 0.9 ng/ml in control subjects, p less than 0.01). Plasma acetylhydrolase activity was lower in patients than in control subjects (10.6 +/- 0.7 nmol/ml/min vs 23.0 +/- 1.4 nmol/ml/min, p less than 0.01). Plasma TNF-alpha concentration was significantly elevated in patients with necrotizing enterocolitis (136 +/- 75 U/ml vs 1.5 +/- 0.8 U/ml, p less than 0.05), although the individual variation was high. There was no correlation between individual TNF-alpha and platelet activating factor levels. We conclude that platelet activating factor and TNF-alpha are elevated in patients with necrotizing enterocolitis and that suppressed platelet activating factor degradation contributes to the increased platelet activating factor levels; platelet activating factor and TNF-alpha may contribute to the pathophysiology of necrotizing enterocolitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Caplan
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hseuh
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hageman
mesh_terms: D043203:1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010741:Phospholipases A / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D010976:Platelet Count; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010972:Platelet Activating Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D010741:Phospholipases A; D043203:1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase