Monophosphoryl lipid A protects against endotoxic shock via inhibiting neutrophil infiltration and preventing disseminated intravascular coagulation.

The major objective of the present study was to determine the effects of a partial structure of the lipid A moiety of gram-negative lipopolysaccharide, monophosphoryl lipid A (MLA), on endotoxin-induced mortality and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in rats. A second objective was to examine the role of polymorphonuclear neutrophil invasion to visceral organs, including lung, liver, heart, and kidney in the pathogenesis of the compromised multiorgan function which occurs in endotoxic shock. Finally, a third aim was to determine if the potential protective effects of MLA might be mediated via inhibiting neutrophil invasion to various visceral organs. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (220-260 g) were fasted over night and used the following day. In control rats, endotoxin (S. abortus equi LPS, 15 mg/kg, i.v.) produced a 89% mortality at 48 hr following its administration, and gross pathological and laboratory signs of DIC at 3 hr after injection. The latter included increased serum fibrin(ogen) degradation products (FDP, 24.00 +/- 7.81 vs. 0 micrograms/ml, P < .05), prothrombin time (PT, 16.20 +/- 1.12 vs. 13.03 +/- 0.20 sec, P < .05), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT, 32.70 +/- 3.83 vs. 20.11 +/- 0.60 sec, P < .05), and decreased plasma fibrinogen (233.2 +/- 41.6 vs. 406.3 +/- 23.2 mg/dl, P < .05) as well as evidence of gross visceral hemorrhage. Pretreatment with MLA (5 mg/kg) for 24 hr produced a marked reduction in endotoxin-induced mortality at 48 hr (0% versus 89% in controls) and inhibited all of the manifestations of DIC produced by endotoxin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)