FIGURE 2.
Complement (C5) and TLR (CD14 and TLR4/MD2) inhibition of whole blood attenuates EC activation by E. coli and S. aureus. Monolayers of EC were incubated with whole blood. The C5 inhibitors eculizumab or C5aR1 antagonist, anti-CD14, TLR4/MD2 antagonist eritoran, or combinations of these, as well as control Ab (rituximab) were added to the blood prior to the addition of 105 bacteria/ml E. coli (A and B) or 107 bacteria/ml S. aureus (C and D). E-selectin expression (A and C) and ICAM-1 expression (B and D) data are presented with median values (bars), mean values (+), and error bars from the 10th to 90th percentile with n = 6 donors. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 as compared with bacterial incubation without inhibitors.