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Changes in endotoxin senstivity in ageing. Absorbtion, elimination and mortality

1991; Elsevier BV; Volume: 57; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0047-6374(91)90031-t

1872-6216

Michael A. Horan, Adriaan Brouwer, Roel J. Barelds, Rene Wientjens, Stephen K. Durham, Dick Knook,

Adipose Tissue and Metabolism

In this paper we describe the influence of ageing on responses to intravenously-injected endotoxin in two rat strains. Old age had no apparent effect on the absorption of 51Cr-labelled endotoxin from either jejunum or colon. Notwithstanding, aged animals appeared much more sensitive than their young counterparts to the lethal effects of intravenously injected endotoxin. Old animals exhibited virtually 100% mortality over the dose range 1–4 mg/100 g body weight while only sporadic deaths were seen in young animals. One consistent feature of dying animals was a profound and progressive hypothermia. At post mortem examination, the major findings were in the liver (leukocyte infiltrates and hepatocellular necrosis) and kidneys (acute tubular necrosis). Ageing was associated with slower removal of endotoxin from the circulation but not to an extent that could reasonably account for the enhanced sensitivity to endotoxin toxicity.