Pig I alpha I appears unmodified in plasma in case of endotoxin-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation.

The unrestricted activity of leukocyte proteinases is thought to contribute to the degradation of plasma proteins and thus amplify the coagulation disorders occurring in septic shock. Inter-alpha-inhibitor (I alpha I) is a plasma protein particularly susceptible to their action. Therefore we investigated its behavior in a porcine model of endotoxin shock which reproduces the coagulation changes observed in human sepsis. We did not detect any qualitative or quantitative modification of porcine I alpha I in plasmas collected from pigs after endotoxin infusion. To explain these data, I alpha I was incubated with polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) stimulated by FMLP in the presence of cytochalasin B. We found that, unlike human PMN, porcine cells were unable to proteolyze I alpha I. Moreover, in the incubation medium of pig PMN, triggered either by FMLP or PMA, no measurable elastase activity was evidenced. Therefore, we urge to better take into account species differences in functional responses of PMN, to explain the experimental results obtained in animal models of septic shock.