Analysis of Endotoxin like Compound in Sea Water by Macrophage Activation

Abstract

We previously reported that several functions of macrophage were enhanced by pretreatment with deep sea water (DSW) in depth dependent manner. However, the augmentative substances in DSW and the suppressive matters in surface sea water (SSW) have never investigated. In this study, we fractionated the macrophage activation factors (MAFs) from deep sea water by hydrophobic column chromatography and compared the content of the MAFs between SSW and DSW. In addition, we demonstrate that the one of MAFs in DSW is an endotoxin, a major component of outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria.