Endotoxin Binding Protein as a Prognostic marker of Death and Disease
Mostly called Lipopolysaccharide Binding Protein, it is increased in the blood of Astronauts, people infected with Covid19 or on the wrong diet.
I have mentioned Lipopolysaccharide Binding Protein (LPB) in various articles but think we should change its name to align with the Therapeutic Goods Administration and all jab regulatory bodies around the world who report that they have conducted Endotoxin tests on all released batches or accepted certificates from other countries accredited testing labs. But for now, let’s look at some exciting recent discoveries.
Astronauts suffer from elevated LBP
I was interested to find an article1 where US Space Shuttle and the International Space Station Astronauts were followed after their space voyage with a focus on their circulating LBP.
The abstract states:
This study investigated the ability of the shuttle crew members’ monocytes to respond to gram-negative endotoxin that they could encounter during infections. Blood specimens were collected from 20 crew members and 15 control subjects 10 days before launch, 3 to 4 h after landing, and 15 days after landing and from crew members during their annual medical examination at 6 to 12 months after landing.
When challenged with gram-negative endotoxin, the crew member’s monocytes collected at all three time points produced lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1 and higher levels of IL-1ra and IL-8 compared to those of control subjects. Cytokines were assessed by measuring the number of cells positive for intracellular cytokines. These values returned to normal 6 to 12 months after landing, except for IL-1ra, which was still higher (five- to sixfold) than in controls. This phenomenon was accompanied by an increased expression of Toll-like receptor 4 and decreased expression of CD14 on the crew members’ monocytes at all time points.
There were also increased levels of the lipopolysaccharide binding protein in the plasma of the crew members 3 to 4 h and 15 days after landing. This study shows that spaceflight-associated factors (in-flight and preflight) modulate the response of monocytes to gram-negative endotoxins.
An earlier US study of 27 Astronauts found Cytokine disruption.2
Similar studes of Russian Space Station crew and those in a simulator also found disruption of Cytokines.34
Here is what Mouse LPB looks like when its crystal structure is determined and called a conserved two-domain “boomerang” structure,.5
The small molecules are 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose used during crystallization.6
LBP has a molecular weight of about 60 kDa. In Healthy Humans, the level of LBP averaged LBP level was 5.7 μg/mL.7
LBP can extract Endotoxin (LPS) monomers from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and transport them to membrane and soluble forms of CD14 (a 55 kDa glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked receptor protein that is found on the surface of macrophages, monocytes and neutrophils receptors) promoting the formation of monomeric LPS-CD14 complex that is a critical intermediate in transport of LPS to MD-2/TLR4 and TLR4- dependent inflammatory cell activation.
Addition of small amounts of LBP to cultured macrophages increases by 100-fold the ability of LPS to induce the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), a potent proinflammatory Cytokine.8
LBP acts as an opsonin by enhancing the interaction of LPS with phagocytes.
LBP also delivers LPS to lipoproteins leading to Liver clearance. Patients with Liver Cirrhosis have higher circulating levels of LBP.9
The Liver Inflammation due to LBP is independent of Liver Fibrosis.10
LBP is synthesized by the Liver, Adipose tissue, and Intestinal cells in response to Endotoxin.
“Plasma LBP is used as a better biomarker of plasma LPS than LPS itself due to the short half-life of LPS” (Wikipedia) refers to healthy people keeping their circulating Endotoxin down by binding to LBP.
LBP carries Triacylated Lipoproteins to Toll-like receptor a (TLR1) and TLR2
As well as helping in hitting our TLR4 with endotoxin, other bacterial toxins are transported to TLR1 and TLR2.11
This results in hundreds of different Human diseases.12
RhamnoGalacturonan II (RG-II) and LBP
RG-II colocalizes with TLR4, and accessory proteins (CD14 and LBP) are essential for the interaction between RG-II and TLR4 that leads to Interleukin-12 production.13
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in LBP
As previously mentioned1415, individual and racial factors affect the Chromosome 20 expression and effectiveness of LBP against Endotoxin from its gene and the relevance to
Increased Predisposition to Sepsis in males (p<0.02) but not in female patients and increased LBP in Pregnancy16
Infective Endocarditis
3-fold increase in the risk of Death prior to discharge, and a 5-fold increase in Mortality risk after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.
Atopy and Asthma involving induced CD4+ Th2 differentiation and overproduction of Immunoglobulin E (IgE) and related Airway Hyperresponsiveness
Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes
HIV-1/HAART-associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome (HALS).
Carotid Intima-Media thickness (CIMT) which is a risk for Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular disease
Atherosclerosis leading to Myocardial Infarction and Stroke
Cancers including Colorectal Carcinoma, Gastric Cancer, Glioma,
Pneumonia and Septic complications
Inflammation of the Ovary
Steroid hormone production17
Obesity and Insulin Resistance
In 2007, it was found by researchers in France that Endotoxin induced LBP is associated with Obesity and Insulin Resistance.18
In 2016 Moliaro and coworkers19 found that gut microbiota regulates hepatic expression of LBP through MYD88-dependent signaling. LBP potentiates Endotoxin inhibition of Insulin signaling in vitro and impairs systemic Glucose homeostasis in vivo independent of adiposity.
Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons Diseases and LBP
As mentioned earlier, researchers are investigating supplementation with LBP as a possible treatement for Alzheimer’s Disease.20
LBP reduces Endotoxin Fibrin Clots
As expected, South African researchers who demonstrated Endotoxin in jabs causes Amyloid Fibrin Clots21, found that premixing LBP with the Endotoxin to form the bound product reduces Thrombosis.22
LBP in Covid19 Patients
Zhang and coworkers assembled a database for mining protein dysregulation in patients with COVID-19 and found that LBP was the most frequently reported protein.23 High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) correlates with LBP in people suffering long Covid.24
LBP in Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Childhood
Sufferers of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Childhood (MIS-C) following SARS-CoV-2 infection have high LBP reflecting a defect in intestinal integrity.25
LBP in HIV Patients
Differences were found in HIV patients who had higher26 LBP with implications for Transgender Women on Hormone Therapy, and with different treatment regimes.27
Depression and LBP
German researchers found LBP is a marker for Depression following Covid19 infection.28
Tularemia and Human LBP
Francisella tularensis is the intracellular gram-negative coccobacillus that causes tularemia, and its virulence and infectiousness make it a potential agent of bioterrorism.29 This US Bioweapon knowledge has been used in Fear Marketing of Big Pharma drugs.30
Cardiovascular Disease and LBP
Nice 2020 review.31
LBP is a significant and independent predictor of prevalent Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and male patients with increased levels of LBP had a fivefold increase in CAD prevalence.
LBP was reported as a significant and independent predictor of total and cardiovascular mortality hazard ratio for all-cause mortality [29]. Circulating LBP level is significantly and positively associated with Obesity measures, Insulin Resistance parameters, Glycated Hemoglobin, Fasting Glucose, Fasting Triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, Systolic Blood Pressure, and Inflammatory parameters while negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.
circulating LBP is positively associated with carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) in the internal carotid segments and CIMT in overall carotid segments. The findings reveal that serum LBP is a putative risk factor related to atherosclerosis.
Leaky Gut is the trigger for higher LBP
See my earlier article on Gut Dysbiosis induced by jabbing and specially its reference 7 (Guo et al 2013).32 Elevated LBP in Alcoholic Hepatitis is attributed to Leaky Gut.33 LBP is also elevated in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.34 Not surprisingly a Japanese child with Ulcerative Colitis after Covid19 infection had high LBP.35
High Grain Diet increases LBP
Studies in Cows36 and Horses show that High Grain Diet increases both circulating Endotoxin and LBP response levels.
In Humans, increased dietary fiber intake reduces LBP.37
Human Anti-LBP Antibodies
To further research Human Anti-LBP Antibodies are available from the .Scripps Research Institute and have beeb used by Austrian researchers interested in using killed bacteria as adjuvants.38 Endothelial cells responded much stronger to bacterial ghosts than to Surface layers (S-layers). Bacterial ghosts but not S-layers activated the cells via a LBP-CD14 pathway.
Further References to come
The literature on LBP upregulated by Endotoxin is vast, so I will annoy some readers by circulating now. If I get funding it could be converted from an outline to a comprehensive review or book chapter.
There is much to add about LBP of Astronauts, AUKUS Submariners and others working in confined spaces exposed to each other’s Endotoxin in confined spaces.
Indreshpal Kaur, Elizabeth R. Simons, Asha S. Kapadia, C. Mark Ott, and Duane L. Pierson. 2008. Effect of Spaceflight on Ability of Monocytes To Respond to Endotoxins of Gram-Negative Bacteria. CLINICAL AND VACCINE IMMUNOLOGY, Oct. 2008, p. 1523–1528.
Brian E. Crucian, Michael L. Cubbage, and Clarence F. Sams. 2000. Altered Cytokine Production by Specific Human Peripheral Blood Cell Subsets Immediately Following Space Flight https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/10799900050044741
P N Uchakin, O N Uchakina, B V Morukov, I M Larina, N B Bogdanova, m V Mezentseva, B V Tobin, F I Ershov. 2006. The endogenous regulation of the cytokine disbalance in humans subjected to simulated spaceflight environment. Vestn Ross Akad Med Nauk 7:15-20.
V B Morukov, M P Rykova, E N Antropova, T A Berendeeva, S A Ponomarev, I M Larina. 2010. Indicators of innate and adaptive immunity of cosmonauts after long-term space flight to international space station. Fiziol Cheloveka 36(3):19-30.
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