Reaction of endotoxin and surfactants. III. Effect of sodium lauryl sulfate on the structure and pyrogenicity of endotoxin

Endotoxins from Gram-negative bacteria were dissociated by sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Evidence for dissociation was disappearance of a rapidly sedimenting component after endotoxin was mixed with SLS and the formation of hybrids between antigenically different endotoxins mediated by SLS. Pyrogenicity, however, was not reduced in parallel with dissociation of the endotoxin. Also, plasma did not reduce the pyrogenicity of SLS-dissociated endotoxin as it did with endotoxin dissociated by sodium deoxycholate. It is theorized that failure of the SLS-dissociated endotoxin subunits to react with plasma factors prevents a demonstrable reduction in pyrogenicity of the preparation.