[Endotoxin tolerance and hemorrhagic shock in rats]

The aim of the presents study was to investigate the protective capacity of endotoxin tolerance in a hemorrhagic shock model in rats. A pretreatment with low dose endotoxin induces a state of tolerance, which is characterized by decreased TNF alpha production in vivo and in vitro upon subsequent high dose endotoxin challenge. This endotoxin tolerance improves survival after hemorrhagic shock from 22.8% in untreated controls to 68.8 in tolerant rats. The protection was accompanied with the appearance of n TNF alpha inhibitory activity in the serum of endotoxin tolerant animals, which might be responsible for the improved survival after hemorrhagic shock.