Presence of platelet-activating factor in pyuria in humans

The relationship between the occurrence of platelet-activating factor (PAF) and neutrophils in urine from patients with urinary tract infection was examined. PAF was detected in human pyuria, when leukocyte levels reached at least 300 cells/μL (n=45), but not in normal urine (n=12). The amount of PAF found in pyuria, measured by platelet aggregation assay, was 0.01 to 13.3 pmol/mL. A close correlation was seen between the amount of PAF present and the number of urinary leukocytes (p<0.01, r=0.70). The leukocytes in pyuria consisted almost entirely of neutrophils (96±4%, mean ±S.D.). Our findings suggest that the occurrence of PAF is associated with the accumulation of neutrophils in urine. Based on a paper presented at the Third International Conference on Platelet-Activating Factor and Structurally Related Alkyl Ether Lipids, Tokyo, Japan, May 1989.