Endotoxins

[cakky]

Hi

i was wondering if i could pick your genius minds and ask you a question please?

are there more than one type of endotoxin? or does the term endotoxin just refer to the lipid A part of the LPS in the bacterial cell membrane?

 

[BabcockHall]

Exotoxins are released from the cell, but endotoxins are not. Endotoxins are either on the cell surface or are intracellular.

[Xalatan]

Endotoxin is just another name for LPS. It is so named to provide contrast to exotoxins, which are heat labile proteins secreted that are toxic to the host. Endotoxins are "endogenous" to the bacterial cell wall, the lipid A component in situ is toxic to the host in the sense that it is pro-inflammatory and can induce septic shock.