Mechanism of heparin protection in endotoxin shock.

Blood clearance by phagocytosis, predominantly by the liver, presents an important mechanism for the elimination and detoxification of endotoxin. However, its effectiveness alone does not determine the outcome of an experimentally induced standardized endotoxin shock. Consequently other effects elicited by endotoxin--for instance, those on the coagulation mechanism or on an endotoxin-detoxifying enzyme system in plasma--must also play an important role in determining the ultimate fate of this condition, for it is now abundantly clear that interrupting such effects with heparin provides considerable protection.