Platelet Activating Factor And Structurally Related Ether Lipids

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is the commonly used name for a group of potent biologically active, ether-linked phospholipids, the alkylacetylglycerophospho cholines. Following the identification of the chemical structure of P AF in 1979, much progress has been made in our understanding of these phospholipid medi ators. This is particularly true from the points of view of their molecular structural requirements for expression of biological activity, their biosynthesis and cata bolism, their diverse range of biological activities, evidence for their specific recep tors at the cell surface, the development of specific antagonists for use in receptor studies and for testing as potential anti-PAF drugs, and implications about their involvement in health and disease. Chapters in this book cover the current status of these general areas of PAF research. Although an enormous amount of information has been published about this interesting new type of phospholipid mediators, questions about their mechanism of action, regulatory controls, and the precise role and relative importance of P AF in specific diseases and physiological functions remain to be answered. Since the 1979 discovery, the PAF field has brought together scientists from a variety of different biomedical disciplines. The diversity of scientists now in PAF research is very apparent from the number of P AF publications appearing in a wide array of scientific journals, ranging from molecular biology to clinical medicine. Publications related to PAF continue to increase at an amazingly rapid rate, with the pace reminiscent of the period following the discovery of prostaglandins.

In the last decade, research on platelet-activating factor (PAF) has expanded exponentially. Previous conferences on PAF in Paris, 1983, and the subsequent conferences in Gatlinburg, Ten nessee, Tokyo, Snowbird, Utah, and Berlin, at three-yearly intervals, have chronicled the devel opments in the field ofPAF. This volume records the proceedings of the Fifth International Con gress on PAF and Related Lipid Mediators, held at the Free University Medical Hospital Ben jamin Franklin in Berlin, from September 12-16, 1995. We are very much indebted to Free Uni versity Berlin for providing tremendous facilities and financial support. It was a great pleasure to have positive and generous input from the German Science Council (DFG), Bonn, Germany, and British·Biotech, Oxford, United Kingdom. Their support was crucial in making the congress a scientific success. Twenty other organizations provided additional financial support, for which we extend our deepest appreciation. The editors would like to thank all of those who participated in this congress and the authors for their contributions. The organization and planning of the Berlin Congress were carried out by an organizing committee. We gratefully acknowledge the support and assistance of the organizing commit tee members, especially Renate Nigam and Renate Roux for their untiring efforts to make the congress successful. Many colleagues also supported the congress with dedication, hard work, and expert input. We are grateful to them. We also wish to acknowledge the support of G. Sravan Kumar and Louis Kock for their efforts in producing this volume.

Ether Lipids: Biochemical and Biomedical Aspects is a 21-chapter text that explores the procedures for the analysis, synthesis, and biomedical application of ether lipids. This book surveys first the chromatographic analysis of ether lipids and their characterization by mass spectrometry. The following chapter describes the chemical synthesis of lipids containing alkyl or 1-alkenyl chains. Three chapters are devoted to the biosynthesis of ether lipids, and four others cover unusual ether lipids. Significant chapters focus on biologically active ether lipids, including the naturally occurring platelet-activating factor and synthetic alkyl analogs of lysophosphatidylcholines, which exhibit cancerostatic properties. This text further discusses the application of these and related substances in biomedical research as well as in clinical diagnosis and therapy. The remaining chapters highlight the use of ether lipids in studies aimed at elucidating the structure of membranes and their functions. Organic chemists, biochemists, and researchers in the biomedical field will find this book invaluable.