Lysozyme preparation extracted from human placenta was evaluated for ability to influence shock lethality induced by various gram-negative bacterial endotoxins.
(1) Experimental endotoxemia were produced in male mice by the intraperitoneal injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharides in such amounts that 80 to 90% of mortality was caused in the control group (without lysozyme treatment). The pretreatment of lysozyme (75mg/kg/day for 3 days, intramuscularly injections) reduced the mortality level to 20% in
Salmonella enteritidis endotoxemia, to 20% in
Salmonella typhi-murium endotoxemia, and to 10% in
Shigella fiexneri endotoxemia. Whereas the pretreatment of human gamma globulin did not alleviate the mortality induced by these endotoxins.
(2) While the lysozyme reduced the toxicity of
E. coli endotoxin in vitro, pretreatment of mice with lysozyme did not significantly influence shock lethality, only reducing the mortality level to 20% when non-treated group showed 40% of mortality.
(3) Minimum effective dose of lysozyme against
S. flexneri endotoxin shock in mice was found to be approximately 5mg/kg intramuscular injection from the result of dose-response relationship.
(4) Rat endotoxemia was also protected by lysozyme pretreatment.
The results obtained here may implicate a role for lysozyme in the physiological defense against endotoxemia.
View full abstract