Lethal shock in partially hepatectomized rats administered tumor necrosis serum

A minute dose of bacterial endotoxin is known to cause lethal shock in BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guérin)-sensitized mice and rats. To gain insight into the mechanism of this hypersensitivity to endotoxin, serum (tumor necrosis serum: TNS) was prepared from BCG-sensitized Lewis rats following endotoxin challenge and injected intravenously into Lewis rats 2 days after their partial hepatectomy. TNS injection caused lethal shock in Hpx (partially hepatectomized) rats but not in normally fed, fasted, or sham-operated rats. Hpx rats survived injection of serum prepared by either BCG sensitization or endotoxin challenge alone. Biochemical and histological examination of the Hpx rats injected with TNS indicated that profound hypoglycemia, hepatic and renal injury, and dysfunction of the coagulation system accompanied by hemorrhage were involved in the lethal shock. These experiments also suggested that serum component(s), probably monokine(s) derived from activated macrophages, might participate in the endotoxin shock in BCG-sensitized rats.