Structure-function relationships of bacterial endotoxins - Contribution tomicrobial sepsis

A substantial body of knowledge has emerged over the past several decades c oncerning the primary, tertiary, and quaternary structures of endotoxic lip opolysaccharides and their contribution to the pathogenesis of Gram-negativ e sepsis. important questions however, remain. Among them are the precise t hree-dimensional configuration of the LPS macromolecule and the contributio n of the quaternary structure to the ability of these potent microbial fact ors to interact with the host humoral and cellular inflammatory mediator sy stems. Also remaining to be sufficiently addressed is the relative contribu tion of endotoxin interactions with the host to the overall manifestation o f disease; and under what conditions do such contributions serve as the piv otal event in determining outcome? The answers to these questions can be ex pected to provide valuable insights into potential, novel therapeutic inter vention strategies and approaches that will ultimately serve to reduce both infection morbidity and mortality from Gram-negative microbes.