The capacity of cytotoxic analogs of platelet-activating factor (PAF) to stimulate tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) synthesis and release by human monocytes was determinedCell-associated TNF-α was quantified by protein immunoblotting and released TNF-α was quantified by cytotoxicity bioassay.Picomolar concentrations of methoxyPAF, SDZ 62-759, SDZ 68-826, SDZ 62-434, and SRI 62-834 induced a 2-5-fold increase in cell-associated and released TNF-α.These compounds were as potent as PAF for stimulating monocytes.In contrast, they lacked direct platelet-activating activity and inhibited platelet aggregation induced by PAF selectively.The analogs inhibited PAF binding to platelets but not to monocytes.The PAF binding antagonists kadsurenone, BN52021, and WEB2086 inhibited TNF-α release induced by 10-11M PAF or methoxyPAF by a maximum of only 30-60% whereas they inhibited platelet aggregation by 10-8M PAF completely.Monocyte receptors for methoxyPAF were evaluated.Scatchard anal. of [3H]methoxyPAF binding to monocytes revealed large numbers of relatively low affinity receptors (Kd = 5.9 × 10-7M; 9.1 × 107 sites/monocyte).These values do not correspond to binding constants of monocyte receptors for PAF and do not account for monocyte activation by picomolar concentrations of methoxyPAF.Cytotoxic analogs of PAF stimulate TNF-α synthesis and release but they do not stimulate monocytes by interacting with PAF receptors.