Abstract

AbstractEndotoxins, chemically lipopolysaccharides (LPS), are major components of the cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria which are an important contributing factor to septic shock, in general, and Gram-negative septic shock, in particular. The structure of the lipid moiety of LPS, lipid A, has been intensively investigated in Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. and based on the structural data, synthetic compounds prepared. In general, these compounds exhibit identical endotoxic activities compared with bacterial lipid A and LPS, thus confirming that lipid A is the endotoxic center of LPS. Analysis of lipid A from various Gram-negative bacterial species showed that lipid A is a family of (phospho)glycolipid molecules that are closely related in general architecture, but whose fine structure varies. The various structures of selected lipid As of different bacterial species are reviewed in this article and the influence of their structure on endotoxicity is discussed. The resulting Deductions on struc...

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