We have previously reported that experimental endotoxemia in healthy volunteers receiving a 4-h 0.5 ng/kg/h infusion of E. coli lipopolysaccharide did not result in significant changes of circulating levels of catecholamines, syndecan-1 or soluble thrombomodulin contrary to patients with sepsis (Ostrowski et al., 2013a). This evidence concerns the gene THBD and serum lipopolysaccharide activity.