Endotoxin Detection

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also known as endotoxin, is the major cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria.

LPS is a potent stimulator of the vertebrate innate immune system and can cause fever, septic shock and eventually death. In vitro, it can introduce a bias in experiments involving cells sensitive to LPS.

Thus, monitoring the presence of LPS in biological reagents is crucial. Current methods for the detection of endotoxins rely on the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), an extract of blood cells from an horseshoe crab, that reacts with endotoxin. A major drawback of the LAL test is overcoming assay inhibition.

InvivoGen offers the HEK-Blue™ LPS Detection Kit 2, a simple, rapid and reliable assay to detect the presence of endotoxin in virtually all biological samples, including particulate compounds, such as vaccine adjuvants, and inhibitors of the LAL test.

The HEK-Blue™ LPS Detection Kit 2 is a cell-based colorimetric assay for the detection of biologically active endotoxin and is a sustainable alternative to the LAL test.