Bovine neutrophils contain the enzyme acyloxyacyl hydrolase, which hydrolyzes the acyloxyacyl linkage of the two nonhydroxylated fatty acyl chains to two 3-hydroxy fatty acids in the highly conserved lipid A part of endotoxins with high specificity. This hydrolysis decreases the toxicity of lipid A, but the immunostimulatory capacity of endotoxins is largely maintained. In two trials, we studie...

Rabbits vaccinated with lipopolysaccharide endotoxins or with purified protease preparations from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens before corneal challenge with the viable bacteria exhibited significantly less corneal damage than rabbits not vaccinated with the bacterial products. However, the rabbits vaccinated with the lipopolysaccharide endotoxin preparations were significantly...

Lymphocyte products released during the human mixed reaction were studied for their ability to stimulate human monocytes to produce endogenous pyrogen and lymphocyte activating factor. These two biological activities are considered properties of the same molecule, called interleukin-1 (IL-1). In these experiments, physical characteristics such as molecular weight, isoelectric point, and binding...

The lipid A domain of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a unique, glucosamine-based phospholipid that makes up the outer monolayer of the outer membrane of most gram-negative bacteria. Because of its profound pharmacological effects on animal cells, especially those of the immune system, lipid A is also known as endotoxin. Despite decades of earlier work, the precise chemistry of endotoxins and the b...

The oligosaccharide cores isolated from the acetic acid hydrolysates of endotoxins from Serratia marcescens 08 and Serratia marcescens Bizio were analyzed for their sugar composition. The intact oligosaccharide core from S. marcescens 08 consisted of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate, d-glycero-d-mannoheptose, l-glycero-d-mannoheptose, d-glucose, d-galactose, and d-glucosamine in a molar ratio of 2:1:5:3:...

The carbohydrate composition of the rough-type endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides, LPSs) from Shigella sonnei mutant strains (Shigella sonnei phase II 4303, 562H, R41 and 4350) was investigated by capillary electrophoresis and GC-MS. The monosaccharides obtained by hydrolysis were determined by capillary electrophoresis combined with laser induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF) after labeling wit...

Although there has been extensive study of various aspects of thermoregulation, the sequence of events which lead to the development of fever following the inoculation of pyrogenic agents has remained obscure. Most investigations of the pathogenesis of fever have been carried out with bacterial endotoxins. These agents are potent toxins and in minute dosages produce cellular damage and a variet...

The limulus gelation assay was utilized to investigate endotoxin inactivation by a number of antibiotics in vitro. Endotoxin activity was sharply reduced by polymyxin B and sodium colistimethate. The effect of the polymyxin was not significantly inhibited by 0.001 M calcium or 90% serum. Crude endotoxins from a variety of aerobic gram-negative bacteria, including several not previously studied,...

limulus amebocyte lysate test in the detection of infections. Of particular note is the comprehensive review of the subject by Erlin and Hosseini. I found the discussion of this paper by Levin and ten Cate particularly enlightening, as it addresses the old problem of the "gold standard" in the diagnosis of infections. The final chapter examines the epidemiological and statistical issues concern...

In the presence of reticuloendothelial blockade, the intravenous injection of a protein antigen into specifically immunized rabbits or the infusion of soluble immune complexes into normal animals has been shown to result in the production of bilateral renal cortical necrosis. The similarity in the pathogenesis of this lesion and that seen in the classical generalized Shwartzman reaction produce...