Leukotrienes in Endotoxin Shock

Actions of endotoxin (1ipopolysaccharide, LPS) in vivo have long been suggested to be mediated by arachidonate metabolites (1,2). The important role of arachidonate-derived metabolites including leukotrienes, prostaglandins and thromboxane in experimental LPS shock has been deduced from the LPS resistance of essential fatty acid-deficient rats (3,4), from the altered arachidonate metabolism in LPS-tolerant rats (5), as well as from pharmacological evidence (1,2,6,7). Recent studies showed that the LPS-resistant C3H/HeJ mouse strain, whose macrophages are defective in prostaglandin (8,9) and leukotriene synthesis (10), can be made highly LPS-sensitive by transfer of pure macrophages from LPS-sensitive C3H/HeN mice (11). These data stress the target cell role of macrophages in the in vivo action of LPS (8,11).