Inhibition of gastric emptying in mice by bacterial endotoxins

¹ Department of Biology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Mice injected with bacterial endotoxins exhibit a rapid reduction of food and water intake, to a degree dependent on the magnitude of the dose. Using phenol red solution as a tracer, it has been demonstrated that gastric emptying is inhibited by endotoxin injection; that the effect is rapid (within 10–15 min); and that it occurs whether the endotoxin is injected intraperitoneally or intravenously. With four different endotoxin preparations, inhibition is maximal at one-tenth of the ld₅₀. Significant inhibition may be caused by between 1/20 and 1/100 of an ld₅₀, depending on the preparation used. Injection of cortisone acetate reduces the inhibition of gastric emptying caused by endotoxin injection; intravenously injected Proferrin, however, does not increase the response, although it sensitizes the mouse to the lethal effects of endotoxin.

Key Words: anorexia-endotoxin • lipopolysaccharides • heat-killed cells

Submitted on May 3, 1963