Anti-HMGB1 antibodies or inhibitors (e.g., ethyl pyruvate, nicotine, stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine and Chinese herbs such as Angelica sinensis) protects mice against lethal endotoxaemia, and rescues them even when the first doses are given 24 h after onset of sepsis. This evidence concerns the gene HMGB1 and Sepsis.