Protective Function of C6 in Rabbits Treated with Bacterial Endotoxin

Abstract

The injection of bacterial endotoxin into rabbits genetically deficient in the sixth component of complement (C6) resulted in a high death rate, whereas rabbits with a partial (heterozygous) deficiency of C6, as well as rabbits with normal levels of C6, survived. These observations correlate with the finding that C6 is required for the detoxification of endotoxin by serum.