Related Experiment Videos
Interactions of the complement system with endotoxic lipopolysaccharide: consumption of each of the six terminal
Insights
Endotoxins trigger complement system consumption, similar to immune complexes. This suggests endotoxin
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Biochemistry
- Complement System
Background:
- Endotoxins and immune complexes induce similar biological effects in vivo.
- The complement (C') system plays a crucial role in immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the complement system in mediating endotoxin's biological effects.
- To explore the similarities in reactions evoked by endotoxins and immune complexes.
Main Methods:
- Incubation of guinea pig serum with endotoxic lipopolysaccharide, zymosan, or preformed immune complexes.
- Quantification of complement component consumption (C'3, C'5, C'6, C'7, C'8, and C'9).
Main Results:
- Significant consumption of multiple complement components (C'3, C'5-C'9) was observed.
- Consumption patterns were similar when serum was exposed to endotoxins, zymosan, or immune complexes.
Conclusions:
- The complement system is involved in mediating biological effects of endotoxins.
- Complement system activation may explain the shared reactivities between endotoxins and immune complexes in vivo.
Abstract:
Large amounts of each C'3, C'5, C'6, C'7, C'8, and C'9 were consumed when guinea pig serum was incubated with endotoxic lipopolysaccharide, zymosan, or preformed immune complexes. Since these C' components subserve several of the biological activities which follow the injection of endotoxins into experimental animals, these experiments support the hypothesis that certain biological effects induced by endotoxins may be mediated via the C' system, and may account for some of the known similarity in the reactivities evoked by endotoxins and immune complexes in vivo.