Nonspecific resistance to bacterial infections. Enhancement by ubiquinone-8.

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Abstract
A lipid fraction from Escherichia coli, extracted with apolar solvents, protected mice for several experimental bacterial infections [E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Streptococcus pyogenes]. The benzoquinone, ubiquinone-8, was isolated from this extract by high pressure liquid chromatography and identified as such by NMR and mass spectrometry. At a dose of 25 mg/kg this substance provided complete protection against otherwise lethal infections with gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria in mice. Treatment was most effective when given i.v. 24 h before infection. In comparative studies, ubiquinone-8 had a clearly higher activity than ubiquinones-4, Q6 and Q10. A highly significant increase in the clearance rate of bacteria from the blood by the spleen and the liver of treated animals correlated well with the protective effect of ubiquinone-8. The compound stimulated the ability of mouse macrophages to incorporate sheep erythrocytes and significantly increased the number of antibody-producing cells in spleens of mice.