Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Dec 14;25(24):13415.
doi: 10.3390/ijms252413415.

Gut Microbiota and Liver Dysfunction in Sepsis: The Role of Inflammatory Mediators and Therapeutic Approaches

Aqsa Shahid  1 , Stephen Chambers  1 , Amy Scott-Thomas  1 , Madhav Bhatia  1
Affiliations
Review

Gut Microbiota and Liver Dysfunction in Sepsis: The Role of Inflammatory Mediators and Therapeutic Approaches

Aqsa Shahid et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Sepsis is a life-threatening complication caused by an uncontrolled immune response to infection that can lead to multi-organ dysfunction, including liver injury. Recent research has shown the critical role of gut microbiota in sepsis pathogenesis, with the gut-liver axis playing a crucial role in disease progression. Mechanisms such as the disruption of the gut barrier and liver injury pathways mediated by cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, hydrogen sulfide (H2S). and substance P (SP) have been the focus of recent studies. Some potential biomarkers and gut microbiota-targeted therapies have shown promise as emerging tools for predicting and managing sepsis. This review describes the role of the gut-liver axis in sepsis and the potential of microbiota-targeted therapies and biomarker-driven interventions to improve sepsis outcomes.

Keywords: gut microbiota; gut–liver axis; liver; sepsis; therapeutic targets.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The role of the liver in health and disease. This figure summarizes the physiological functions of the liver and the disruption of its functions during sepsis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gut–liver crosstalk and disruption in functions. After exposure to infectious agents, antibiotic administration causes gut dysbiosis and bacterial translocation to the bloodstream. This translocation results in an increased activation of inflammatory mediators, which affects the liver and the composition of the gut microbiota.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Singer M., Deutschman C.S., Seymour C.W., Shankar-Hari M., Annane D., Bauer M., Bellomo R., Bernard G.R., Chiche J.-D., Coopersmith C.M., et al. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) JAMA. 2016;315:801–810. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.0287. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yan J., Li S., Li S. The role of the liver in sepsis. Int. Rev. Immunol. 2014;33:498–510. doi: 10.3109/08830185.2014.889129. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ursell L.K., Haiser H.J., Van Treuren W., Garg N., Reddivari L., Vanamala J., Dorrestein P.C., Turnbaugh P.J., Knight R. The intestinal metabolome: An intersection between microbiota and host. Gastroenterology. 2014;146:1470–1476. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2014.03.001. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mushtaq A., Kazi F. Updates in sepsis management. Lancet Infect. Dis. 2022;22:24. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00773-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rudd K.E., Johnson S.C., Agesa K.M., Shackelford K.A., Tsoi D., Kievlan D.R., Colombara D.V., Ikuta K.S., Kissoon N., Finfer S., et al. Global, regional, and national sepsis incidence and mortality, 1990–2017: Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet. 2020;395:200–211. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32989-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources