Effect of platelet activating factor (PAF) on blood flow distribution in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

A dose-dependent decrease in mean arterial blood pressure was produced in spontaneously hypertensive rats by intravenous PAF infusion. Heart rate was monitored, while cardiac index and regional blood flow were quantitated during maintenance of the PAF-induced hypotension using the radioactive microsphere method. Our results suggest that PAF administration is associated with specific changes in vascular resistance, since estimated blood flow was decreased to certain organs or tissues, but remained unchanged in others. Therefore, the hypotension observed during PAF infusion is dose-dependent, and is contributed to by decreases in vascular resistance in specific organs.