Shock : molecular, cellular, and systemic pathobiological aspects and therapeutic approaches : the official journal the Shock Society, the European Shock Society, the Brazilian Shock Society, the International Federation of Shock Societies
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In this study, experiments were designed to determine which parts and how carvedilol provided protection of the failed hearts under cardioplegia-induced hypoxia/reperfusion (H/R) insult. ⋯ In the failed heart, pretreatment with carvedilol could preserve cardiac contractility during cardioplegia-induced myocardial H/R injury by lessening inflammation-related genes and expression of cytokines, decreasing apoptosis-related proteins production and diminishing the occurrence of cardiomyocytic apoptosis in the peri-infarct zone. The cardinal pathways of the antiapoptotic mechanism of carvedilol were PI3K- and MEK-related pathways.
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A reduction of the neutrophil migration into the site of infection during cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis increases host mortality. Inhibition of heme oxygenase (HO) prevents this neutrophil paralysis and improves host survival in the cecal ligation and puncture model. Taking into account that almost 50% of all sepsis cases are a consequence of pneumonia, we designed the present study to determine the role of HO in an experimental model of pneumonia-induced sepsis. ⋯ The pretreatment of mice subjected to pneumonia-induced sepsis with ZnDPBG (zinc deuteroporphyrin 2,4-bis glycol), a nonspecific HO inhibitor, increased the number of neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar spaces, reduced the bacterial load at the site of infection, and prevented the upregulation of CD11b and the downregulation of CXCR2 on blood neutrophils. Moreover, the pretreatment with ZnDPBG decreased alveolar collapse, attenuating the deleterious changes in pulmonary mechanics and gas exchanges and, as a consequence, improved the survival rate of mice from 0% to ∼20%. These results show that heme oxygenase is involved in the pathophysiology of pneumonia-induced sepsis and suggest that HO inhibitors could be helpful for the management of this disease.
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The inflammatory response after liver ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) contributes to increased risk of liver failure after liver surgery. Strategies aimed to preventing inflammation could be beneficial in reducing liver I/R injury. Recent studies have demonstrated that peptide Bβ15-42 is able to decrease the injury of I/R in heart and kidney by inhibition of leukocyte migration and preserving endothelial barrier function. ⋯ Moreover, Bβ15-42 significantly reduced high-mobility group box 1 release and altered mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. In conclusion, Bβ15-42 treatment protected against liver warm I/R injury. The mechanism of protective action of Bβ15-42 seemed to involve its ability to reduce hepatic inflammatory response through preventing high-mobility group box 1 release and altering mitogen-activated protein kinase activation.
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Sepsis is primarily a disease of the aged, with 65% of sepsis cases reported in patients older than 65 years and 80% of deaths due to sepsis occurring in this age group. Klotho knockout mice (Klotho mice) are a mouse model of accelerated aging and shortened life span. The purpose of the study was to elucidate the immunological changes occurring in Klotho mice during sepsis. ⋯ Both flow cytometric and immunohistological analyses showed a dramatic increase in caspase 3-positive cells in the thymus and spleen of Klotho-CLP mice (P < 0.01). Serum concentrations of interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin 10 were higher in Klotho-CLP mice than in WT-CLP mice. Hypercytokinemia with impaired bacterial clearance and increased apoptosis of lymphocytes may be related to poor survival in Klotho-septic mice.