Summary
During Gram-negative sepsis, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates toll-like receptor
(TLR) 4 and induces complex responses of immune system and haemostasis. In the present
study we investigated whether thrombelastography is suitable to monitor the LPS-induced
activation of coagulation. Whole blood samples from healthy volunteers were incubated
with LPS for various in-cubation periods (0–5 hrs), thereafter rotation thrombelastography
was performed. Incubation of whole blood (≥ 3 h) with LPS markedly reduced clotting
time; after 5 hrs the variable was reduced from 459 ± 39 sec to 80 ± 20 sec while
the other thrombelastography variables (angle α, clot formation time, maximal clot
formation) remained unaltered. EC50 of the LPSeffect on whole blood clotting time was 18 µg/ml.In isolated leu kocytes,
diluted in platelet poor plasma, far lower LPS-concentrations were effective: 10 ng/ml
LPS reduced clotting time from 439 ± 68 sec to 200± 56 sec. Experiments with the protein
synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and active site-inhibited factor VIIa revealed that
LPS exerts its effects via the synthesis of tissue factor.Addition of tissue factor
to whole blood samples revealed that a concentration of 100 fmol/l can be detected
using thrombelastography. In whole blood samples the tissue factor concentration induced
by LPS amounted up to 12 pmol/l. In summary, thrombelastography proved to bea sensitive
and reliable tool for the determination of LPS-induced tissue factor mediated activation
of haemostasis in whole blood samples.
Keywords
Human whole blood - lipopolysaccharide - thrombelastography