Some Effects of the Administration of Endotoxin in Mice: SPECIFIC CLEAVAGE OF SERUM ALBUMIN BY AN ACID PROTEASE AND THE GENERATION OF AMYLOID SERUM COMPONENT

• Text
• PDF

Abstract

Endotoxin has been shown to induce amyloidosis in mice and to result in the appearance in serum of large amounts of amyloidrelated protein (SAA). After injection of 300 μg lipopolysaccharide Escherichia coli, SAA behaves as an acute phase reactant with levels reaching a peak of >600 μg/ml at 18-22 h and returning to base line (<50 μg/ml) by 48 h in each of four strains tested; only the endotoxin-resistant C3H/HeJ strain showed a smaller response. Lesser, though significant, elevations were also found after subcutaneous injection of 25 mg of casein, bovine serum albumin, ovalbumin, or monomeric immunoglobulin G, whereas pyrogen-free human serum albumin/U. S. Pharmacopeia failed to raise SAA levels. SAA generation may thus be a result of endotoxin contamination of these protein preparations.

Authors

Peter D. Gorevic, Yoram Levo, Prem C. Chatpar, Blas Frangione, E. C. Franklin