The effect of endotoxin tolerance on ocular inflammation was studied in rabbits. A single intravenous (IV) injection of endotoxin (bacterial lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) produced a mild acute iridocyclitis. Repeated daily (five to seven days) IV injections of LPS (5 micrograms extracted from Salmonella typhimurium) led to a state of refractoriness or LPS "tolerance," and ocular inflammation was no longer produced. In contrast to controls, in rabbits tolerant to LPS, IV LPS failed to elevate prostaglandin E2, thromboxane B2, or chemotactic factors in the aqueous humor. Rabbits tolerant to LPS also resisted the increase in vascular permeability normally induced by an ocular reversed passive Arthus reaction. These results demonstrated that LPS tolerance can induce anti-inflammatory effects in the eye.