Introduction
The endothelium is a complex organ influenced by circulating mediators, adjacent cells, physico-chemical factors, and shear stress. During systemic inflammation and sepsis, excessive and sustained activation of the endothelium result in the loss of its anticoagulant and anti-adhesive characteristics as well as in a loss of endothelial barrier function. We set up a cell-culture model to study endothelial activation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or by plasma from septic patients and studied the effect of adsorbent-based mediator modulation on endothelial activation.