Experimental uveitis induced by different uniform salts of enterobacterial lipopolysaccharides

Injection of lipopolysaccharides/LPS/, the major component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, can induce inflammation in the eyes of susceptible animals. The LPS-induce ocular inflammation is termed endotoxin-induced uveitis/EIU/and is characterized by iris hyperemia, miosis, a rise in aqueous humor protein, and inflammatory cell infiltration into the anterior uvea and aqueous humor. Biological activities of endotoxin depend also on its molecular weight.

The aim of our study was to find the effect of different aggregation forms on the clinical and histopathological characteristics of the EIU.

Lipopolysaccharides were electrodialyzed and neutralized by adding: triethylomine, sodium hydroxide, or calcium hydroxide. EIU was produced in Lewis rats by footpad injection of different enterobacterial LPS. Their eyes were examined for clinical signs of inflammation in slit lamp, protein and cells were measured in the aqueous hum

The correlation between the physical parameters and biological activity is discussed. Our results have shown recently that monomeric form of endotoxin is more active than an aggregated form in induction of experimental uveitis.