ISSUE FOCUS 28 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2023 The impact of endotoxins on the health status of our livestock as well as humans is a red-hot topic of these days. But how can we successfully face this ever-present risk? First, we should investigate the nature of endotoxins themselves. Building on this, we can create and implement a strategy that mitigates their potential harmful effects. What are endotoxins? Endotoxins are building parts of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria. In turn, gram-negative bacteria are common participants of every microbiome. From a chemical point of view, endotoxins are thermostable glycolipids, for this reason they are also called lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Here the lipid-part of the molecule constitutes the real endotoxin. LPS are released during a destabilization of the cell wall, thus due to bacterial lysis or also proliferation. Unlike bacterial exotoxins they are not any kind of weapon, but simply building components, which exert their toxic effects only in free form. Moreover, these impacts depend on where the endotoxins are located and the affected animal species. Endotoxin Stress HOW TO MINIMIZE THE RISK FOR YOUR ANIMALS Dr. Cornelia Becker R&D Application Manager Biochem Schematic structure of a gram-negative bacterial cell wall
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