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Review
. 2019 Jun 20:7:108.
doi: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00108. eCollection 2019.

Sepsis: Inflammation Is a Necessary Evil

Christina Nedeva  1 , Joseph Menassa  1 , Hamsa Puthalakath  1
Affiliations
Review

Sepsis: Inflammation Is a Necessary Evil

Christina Nedeva et al. Front Cell Dev Biol. .

Abstract

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of deaths world-wide and yet there are no therapies available other than ICU treatment. The patient outcome is determined by a complex interplay between the pro and anti-inflammatory responses of the body i.e., a homeostatic balance between these two competing events to be achieved for the patient's recovery. The initial attempts on drug development mainly focused on controlling inflammation, however, without any tangible outcome. This was despite most deaths occurring during the immune paralysis stage of this biphasic disease. Recently, the focus has been shifting to understand immune paralysis (caused by apoptosis and by anti-inflammatory cytokines) to develop therapeutic drugs. In this review we put forth an argument for a proper understanding of the molecular basis of inflammation as well as apoptosis for developing an effective therapy.

Keywords: apoptosis; immune suppression; inflammation; programmed cell death; sepsis.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Sepsis is a multi-faceted disease. Multiple derangements exist in sepsis involving several different organs ranging from altered coagulation, immune suppression to inflammation and multiple organ failure.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Sepsis is a biphasic disease, the initial phase is characterized by overwhelming inflammation followed by immuno-suppression. A homeostatic balance between these two competing events is to be achieved for the patient’s recovery.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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