Bartonella quintana lipopolysaccharide (LPS): structure and characteristics of a potent TLR4 antagonist for in-vitro and in-vivo applications

The pattern recognition receptor TLR4 is well known as a crucial receptor during infection and inflammation. Several TLR4 antagonists have been reported to inhibit the function of TLR4. Both natural occurring antagonists, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria as well as synthetic compounds based on the lipid A structure of LPS have been described as potent inhibitors of TLR4. Here, we have examined the characteristics of a natural TLR4 antagonist, isolated from Bartonella quintana bacterium by elucidating its chemical primary structure. We have found that this TLR4 antagonist is actually a lipooligosaccharide (LOS) instead of a LPS, and that it acts very effective, with a high inhibitory activity against triggering by the LPS-TLR4 system in the presence of a potent TLR4 agonist (E. coli LPS). Furthermore, we demonstrate that B. quintana LPS is not inactivated by polymyxin B, a classical cyclic cationic polypeptide antibiotic that bind the lipid A part of LPS, such as E. coli LPS. Using a murine LPS/D-galactosamine endotoxaemia model we showed that treatment with B. quintana LPS could improve the survival rate significantly. Since endogenous TLR4 ligands have been associated with several inflammatory- and immune-diseases, B. quintana LPS might be a novel therapeutic strategy for TLR4-driven pathologies.