EasyPrep LPS Extraction kit

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major constituent of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, which contributes to the structural integrity and protects the membrane from damage. LPS consists of a lipid and a polysaccharide, a low molecular mass carbohydrate with a molecular mass of 10-20 kDa joined by a covalent bond and since found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, they act as endotoxins and elicit strong immune responses. LPS also increases the negative charge of the cell membrane and helps stabilize the overall bacterial membrane structure. It is heterogeneous and composed of O antigen (a repeating glycan polymer), core oligosaccharide (which links the O antigen to Lipid A – the third component), and non-carbohydrate components such as phosphate and amino acid groups. Lipid A has multiple fatty acids, that serve to anchor LPS into the bacterial membrane allowing the O antigen and core oligosaccharide to protrude and contributes to a major part of the toxicity of Gram-negative bacteria. LPS is also known as endotoxin, when consumed by animals, LPS induces a strong inflammatory response and/or sepsis.

Our EasyPrep LPS Extraction kit is designed for efficient extraction of lipopolysaccharides from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. This kit does not use traditional chloroform or phenol methods, and yields high quality LPS that can be easily characterized and quantified, using other reagents and methods. It uses a bacterial membrane lysis buffer and protein digestion with our proprietary SP-Proteinase K to specifically extract LPS alone from bacterial culture (approximately 1-4% of dry weight) with a yield of LPS in micrograms.

Kit Components: