title: Nonspecific resistance to bacterial infections. Enhancement by ubiquinone-8.
abstract: A lipid fraction from Escherichia coli was extracted with apolar solvents and was found to protect mice from a number of experimental bacterial infections. The benzoquinone, ubiquinone-8, was isolated from this extract by high pressure liquid chromatography and identified as such by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. At a dose of 25 mg/kg this substance was found to provide complete protection against otherwise lethal infections with gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria in mice. Treatment was most effective when given intravenously 24 h before infection. In comparative studies, ubiquinone-8 had a clearly higher activity than ubiquinones-4, Q6, and Q10. A highly significant increase in the clearance rate of bacteria from the blood by the spleen and the liver of treated animals, correlated well with the protective effect of ubiquinone-8. The compound stimulated the ability of mouse macrophages to incorporate sheep erythrocytes and significantly increased the number of antibody-producing cells in spleens of mice.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004925:Escherichia / Q000276:immunology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014451:Ubiquinone