Abstract
Since its discovery in the 1960s and chemical characterization in the 1970s, PAF has emerged as a multidirectional pathogenic threat. A strong mediator of inflammation, it is produced by a variety of cells implicated in asthma, including the eosinophil, for which PAF is the most potent chemotactic factor known. PAF antagonists may clarify its pathophysiologic actions in asthma.