Dendritic Cells in Sepsis: Pathological Alterations and Therapeutic Implications

Abstract

Sepsis is the leading cause of death for critically ill patients in recent years. Dendritic cells (DCs) are important antigen-presenting cells and play a key role in immune response by regulating the innate and adaptive immunity. The number of DCs, the differentiation of monocytes into DCs, and the levels of surface molecules associated with the function of DCs are changed in the development of sepsis. There are many mechanisms involved in the alterations of DCs during sepsis, including the induction of apoptosis, reactive oxygen species generation, activation of the Wnt signaling pathway, epigenetic regulation, and variation in Toll-like receptor-dependent signaling. In this review, we present the classifications of DC subsets and mechanisms involved in the alterations of DCs in sepsis, as well as further discuss the therapeutic strategies targeting DCs in sepsis to improve the aberrant immune response and prolong the life during sepsis progression.

Figure 1

A schematic illustration of the alterations of dendritic cells (DCs) in sepsis. Induction of apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, activation of Wnt signaling pathway, epigenetic regulation, and variation in toll-like receptor- (TLR-) dependent signaling are involved in the alterations of DCs in sepsis. NFAT: nuclear factor of activated T cells; IRF1: interferon regulatory factor 1; A-SMase: acid sphingomyelinase; DNA: deoxyribose nucleic acid; IL: interleukin.