Peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus causes inflammation and organ injury in the rat*

Abstract

These results demonstrate that injection of peptidoglycan alone causes organ injury/dysfunction, organ inflammation, and systemic inflammation in the rat, involving nuclear factor-kappaB and possibly activator protein 1. These data support the contention that peptidoglycan is a contributing factor in the pathophysiology of organ injury in sepsis.