Difference Between Endotoxin and Pyrogen

Endotoxins are an important type of pyrogens. ... The key difference between endotoxin and pyrogen is that endotoxin is a lipopolysaccharide found in the outer membrane of gram negative bacteria while pyrogen is a polypeptide or polysaccharide which induces fever when released into circulation.

1. Is pyrogen the same as endotoxin?
2. What is meant by endotoxin?
3. What is the difference between sterile and pyrogen free?
4. What is a pyrogen test?
5. How do I remove endotoxin?
6. How much is an endotoxin unit?
7. What is an example of endotoxin?
8. Why is endotoxin so harmful?
9. What causes endotoxin?

Is pyrogen the same as endotoxin?

A pyrogen is a molecule that is fever-producing. ... Endotoxins are found in the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria and exotoxins are molecules that some bacteria make internally and secrete to the outside. Endotoxins and exotoxins are released when a bacterium lyses.

What is meant by endotoxin?

: a toxic heat-stable lipopolysaccharide substance present in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria that is released from the cell upon lysis.

What is the difference between sterile and pyrogen free?

Being sterile means being free from microorganisms and being pyrogen-free means being free from fever-causing substances. The difference can be likened to insects and their eggs.

What is a pyrogen test?

A pyrogen is a foreign substance that causes a fever (temperature elevation) in an animal's body. ... Vaccines and other injectable drugs must be confirmed to be pyrogen free according to regulatory requirements of 21CFR, USP, and EP. The typical assay for endotoxin contamination detection is the LAL test.

How do I remove endotoxin?

Endotoxin can be inactivated when exposed at temperature of 250º C for more than 30 minutes or 180º C for more than 3 hours (28, 30). Acids or alkalis of at least 0.1 M strength can also be used to destroy endotoxin in laboratory scale (17).

How much is an endotoxin unit?

Their presence is detected by the limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL assay) which can detect down to 0.01 endotoxin units (EU)/mL. Endotoxins are approximately 10 kDa in size, but readily form large aggregates up to 1,000 kDa.

What is an example of endotoxin?

Although the term "endotoxin" is occasionally used to refer to any cell-associated bacterial toxin, in bacteriology it is properly reserved to refer to the lipopolysaccharide complex associated with the outer membrane of Gram-negative pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Pseudomonas, Neisseria, ...

Why is endotoxin so harmful?

Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharides found in the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, which can induce inflammation and fever as an immune response in higher organisms. Reaction to endotoxins can lead to anaphylactic shock and death of patients.

What causes endotoxin?

The lipid A portion of LPS is the cause of the molecule's endotoxin activity. While lipid A does not directly harm any tissue, the immune cells of humans and animals alike see it as an indicator for the presence of bacteria. Thus, these cells stimulate a response that is meant to fend off the unwelcome intruders.