THE PROLIFERATION-INHIBITING EFFECT OF ENDOTOXIN ON HUMAN-ENDOTHELIAL CELLS IN CULTURE AND ITS POSSIBLE IMPLICATION IN STATES OF SHOCK

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 9  (5) , 499-508
Abstract
To determine whether bacterial [Salmonella abortus equi] endotoxin (LPS) could be responsible for the in vitro endothelial proliferation-inhibiting activity found in some serum samples derived from patients suffering from sepsis or shock, DNA synthesis response of cultured human endothelial cells was measured by autoradiographic methods. A dose-dependent decrease in the proliferation-inducing capacity of human serum was found after the addition of endotoxin without any detectable cellular injury. This effect depended on the serum concentration in the culture medium: higher serum concentrations reduced the measurable LPS[lipopolysaccharide]-activity. The endotoxin effect turned out to be preventable when LPS sera were preincubated with different concentrations of polymyxin B sulfate. That treatment also seemed to prevent the inhibiting effect of some patient sera. The inhibiting effect of both the LPS-serum and the patient serum could be reversed by washing and adding fresh human serum. The endothelial regeneration-inhibiting activity of endotoxin may play an important role in the irreversibility of certain shock states.