Endothelial cells play a pivotal role in the inflammatory process by coordinating the
recruitment of inflammatory cells to sites of tissue injury. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates
many of the proinflammatory and procoagulant responses of endothelial cells, and
endothelial injury is thought to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of septic shock due to
Gram-negative bacteria. The receptor used by LPS to signal endothelial responses has not
been identified. It is also not known how LPS induces endothelial injury/death. In this study …