Diphosphoryl lipid A obtained from the nontoxic lipopolysaccharide of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides is an endotoxin antagonist in mice.

Diphosphoryl lipid A (DPLA) obtained from the nontoxic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides ATCC 17023 did not induce interleukin-1 release by murine peritoneal macrophages. However, it blocked this induction by toxic deep-rough chemotype LPS (ReLPS) from Escherichia coli D31m4. Previously, we obtained similar results on the induction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) by macrophages. These results showed that DPLA is able to block in vitro the induction of two important mediators of gram-negative bacterial sepsis. We then wanted to determine whether DPLA could also block the induction of TNF by LPS in animals. Mice were treated with 100 micrograms of R. sphaeroides DPLA and challenged 60 min later with 1.0 micrograms of ReLPS from E. coli. The serum TNF level was measured after 60 min. Treatment of mice with this DPLA blocked the rapid and transient rise of TNF caused by ReLPS. This result suggested that R. sphaeroides DPLA might be able to protect animals against endotoxin shock caused by gram-negative bacterial infection.