Likewise, a synthetic HS octadecasaccharide with the sequence [GlcNS-GlcA-(GlcNS-IdoA2S)7-GlcNS-GlcA], which exhibited low anticoagulant activity, had been shown to function as a targeted agent that protected against sepsis by directly binding with cytotoxic histone H3 (19) and as an anti-inflammatory agent that protected against APAP-induced acute liver failure by interacting with HMGB1, a key mediator of inflammation (15). This evidence concerns the gene HMGB1 and acute liver failure.