Strategies for the control of LPS-mediated pathophysiological disorders

Lipopolysaccharides released from Gram-negative bacteria after infection initiate an alarm response in the host, which has supposedly evolved to protect it. However, an exaggerated response leads to a cascade of pathophysiological events termed sepsis. In the USA alone, the annual number of deaths caused by sepsis (similar to 70,000) is comparable with that caused by AIDS. The author describes the major advances of knowledge in this field and the attempts to convert this into successful therapeutics. Anti-endotoxin and anti-inflammatory agents have been disappointing, but new strategies might result in effective treatments in the forthcoming years.