One of the earliest signs of endometrial preparation for blastocyst implantation is a localized increase in capillary permeability, an event that is essentially inflammatory in character and thought to be a prerequisite for subsequent decidual tissue formation. Platelet-activating factor (PAF), chemically identified as 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine, is a very potent vasoactive compound that recently has been implicated in the implantation process. In the present study, PAF binding sites are characterized in the rabbit uterus. A specific, reversible, saturable, and thermally labile binding of [3H]PAF to uterine membranes has been demonstrated, exhibiting multiple binding sites. The equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of the higher affinity binding site (type 1) was 3.6 +/- 0.4 nM (mean +/- SD) with a binding capacity (Bmax) of 3.4 +/- 1.6 pmol/mg protein. The second (lower affinity) binding site (type 2) had an apparent Kd of 114.6 +/- 13.5 nM and a Bmax of 164.3 +/- 17.6 pmol/mg membrane protein, under the conditions of maximal [3H]PAF binding, 25 degrees C, 150 min. Incubations at 4 degrees C for up to 3 h yielded only 30% of the Bmax observed at 25 degrees C. In crude and purified endometrial membrane preparations in which the PAF binding was predominantly located, the affinity of the binding for PAF was significantly higher than for the whole uterus, giving Kds of 1.5 +/- 0.8 and 0.8 +/- 0.5 nM; these latter values were not significantly different. However, the Bmax values of 3.9 +/- 0.9 pmol/mg protein and 376.8 +/- 163.3 fmol/mg protein for the two endometrial preparations, respectively, did differ significantly. Kinetic analysis at 25 degrees C resulted in a calculated Kd of 3.28 +/- 1.14 nM, which did not differ from the value for for the whole uterus at the same temperature, but was greater than for the endometrial preparations. Using 4 nM [3H]PAF to selectively label only the type 1 binding sites, the relative potencies of PAF and its antagonists in displacing [3H]PAF were lyso-PAF greater than CV3988 greater than PAF greater than U66985 greater than A02405 greater than BN52021 greater than U66982. The antagonists SRI 63,441 and L652,731 were ineffective in displacing [3H]PAF at up to 5000-fold molar excess of [3H]PAF. [3H]Lyso-PAF binding at 4 nM was displaceable by PAF. All cations tested, i.e. Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, and Li+, inhibited [3H]PAF binding. Serine hydrolase inhibitors, diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), inhibited binding, but bacitracin, leupeptin, and antipain stabilized it.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)