Abstract

Endotoxin, when added to human blood produces many deleterious agents which can upregulate the clotting system. In previous studies it has been shown that these hypercoagulable effects can, in part, be bioassayed by the reduction in this endotoxinassociated clotting time when compared to control (saline) values. The cellular generation of tissue factor, the initiator of the clotting cascade is more pronounced in diseases and conditions causing the greatest mortality and morbidity. Glucono-deltalactone, when added to the endotoxin treated aliquots mitigates this clotting state whether it is added to the blood samples before incubation or after incubation, just prior to the addition of calcium ions to initiate the clotting process. The reduction in clotting reveals anticoagulant properties which enhances the need to develop the biomedical applications of glucono-delta-lactone.