Leishmania spp are obligate intracellular protozoan parasites of the mononuclear phagocyte system that cause a spectrum of diseases known as leishmaniasis. Platelet Activating Factor (PAF) and some PAF-antagonists seem to play a key role in Leishmania infection. In this article we detected for the first time the specific activities of PAF basic metabolic enzymes, PAF cholinephosphotransferase (PAF-CPT) and Lyso-PAF-acetylotransferase (Lyso-PAF-AT), in two species of Leishmania, namely Leishmania major (L. major) and Leishmania infantum (L. infantum). Specific activity of PAF-CPT of L. major homogenates was substantially higher than that of L. infantum homogenates, while Lyso-PAF-AT specific activities of the homogenates of both species were detected in the same levels. In addition, PAF-like molecules were detected in cells and their culture medium of both species. These results show that PAF-biosynthesis exists and varies between Leishmania species, findings that are in correlation with the general idea that the presence of PAF in several Leishmania species is implicated in Leishmania infection.
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