1. The contribution of platelet-activating factor (PAF) to platelet deposition and oedema formation induced by exogenous soluble mediators, zymosan particles and associated with a reversed passive Arthus (RPA) reaction in rabbit skin was investigated by use of a novel long-acting PAF receptor antagonist, UK-74,505. 2. Oedema formation and platelet accumulation were simultaneously measured by i.v. injection of [125I]-albumin and 111In-labelled rabbit platelets. UK-74,505 was either administered i.v. or used to pretreat radiolabelled platelets in vitro before their injection into recipient animals. Platelets pretreated with UK-74,505 were also labelled with the fluorescent calcium indicator, Fura-2, to assess their ex vivo reactivity to PAF at the end of the in vivo experiment. 3. UK-74,505 (0.5 mg kg-1), administered i.v., inhibited PAF-induced oedema formation, but did not affect oedema induced by zymosan particles, bradykinin (BK), histamine, formyl-methionyl-leucylphenylalanine (FMLP), zymosan-activated plasma (ZAP, as a source of C5a des Arg), leukotriene B4 (LTB4) or interleukin-8 (IL-8). 4. UK-74,505, administered i.v. also suppressed the small platelet accumulation induced by exogenous PAF, but had no effect on accumulation induced by IL-8 or ZAP. Although oedema induced by zymosan was not affected by i.v. UK-74,505, zymosan-induced platelet accumulation was significantly attenuated by the antagonist. 5. The RPA reaction in rabbit skin was associated with marked oedema formation and platelet accumulation which were both inhibited by i.v. UK-74,505. 6. In vitro, UK-74,505 inhibited aggregation and the increase in intracellular calcium concentration induced by PAF in rabbit washed platelets in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 = 1.6 x 10-8 M and 1.1 x 10-8 M, respectively). Platelets pretreated with 10-6 M UK-74,505, and maintained at 37 degrees C,were unresponsive to PAF, whilst responding normally to thrombin, for up to 4 h.7. In a second series of in vivo experiments, platelets were labelled with 111In and loaded with Fura-2.The platelets were then pretreated with 10-6 M UK-74,505, washed, and injected into recipient rabbits.These platelets, prepared from blood samples taken at the end of the in vivo experiments, exhibited an 80% reduction in their response to PAF as measured ex vivo with Fura-2. However, in contrast to the effects of i.v. UK-74,505, platelets pretreated with the antagonist did accumulate effectively in the RPA reaction, a significant reduction only being observed in responses at the lowest antibody dose. In addition, pretreatment of platelets had no effect on the small platelet accumulation induced by PAF.8. These results suggest that PAF is an important mediator of oedema formation and platelet accumulation in the RPA reaction in rabbit skin. However, they question the role of PAF receptors on platelets in this model. The results also indicate that PAF may be involved in platelet accumulation induced by zymosan in rabbit skin.