High mobility group box-1 protein(HMGB1),which is a nuclear protein,participates in chromatin architecture and transcriptional regulation.When released from cells,HMGB1 also plays a well-established role as a pro-inflammatory mediator during innate immune responses to injury.In the initial stage of injury,there is a release of large quantities of early pro-inflammatory mediators to initiate or perpetuate immune responses against pathogens,but this pro-inflammatory period is transient,and it is followed by a prolonged period of immune suppression.At present,several lines of evidences have suggested that HMGB1 is a late cytokine provoking delayed endotoxin morbidity,which may enhance the production of early proinflammatory mediators,and it can contribute potently to the activation of different immune cells and play a role in the development of host cell-mediated immunity.The biology of HMGB1 has been extensively studied as a pro-inflammatory cytokine of systemic inflammation,however,this review will attempt to provide a summary of the effects of HMGB1 on different immune cells and its regulatory mechanism in acute insults.
Ying-yi LUANFeng-hua YAOQing-hong ZHANGXiao-mei ZHUNing DONGYong-ming YAO
Recent studies have revealed liver dysfunction as an early event in sepsis. Sepsis-associated liver dysfunction is mainly resulted from systemic or microcirculatory disturbances, spillovers of bacteria and endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS), and subsequent activa-tion of inflammatory cytokines as well as mediators. Three main cell types of the liver which contribute to the hepatic response in sepsis are Kupffer cells (KCs), hepatocytes and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs). In addition, activated neutrophils, which are also recruited to the liver and produce potentially destructive enzymes and oxygen-free radicals, may further enhance acute liver injury. The clinical manifestations of sepsis-associated liver dysfunction can roughly be divided into two categories: Hypoxic hepatitis and jaundice. The latter is much more frequent in the context of sepsis. Hepatic failure is traditionally considered as a late manifestation of sepsis-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. To date, no specific therapeutics for sepsis-associated liver dysfunction are available. Treatment measure is mainly focused on eradication of the underlying infection and management for se-vere sepsis. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of liver response in sepsis may lead to further increase in survival rates.
