Plugging Leaks: Manipulating receptors may impede sepsis
By Nathan Seppa
Using synthetic molecules that bind to signaling proteins on blood vessel cells, scientists have discovered a way to subdue sepsis in mice. They report that activating or disabling the proteins affects the course of sepsis and could provide a way to combat this deadly condition.
Sepsis develops when a blood infection triggers a runaway immune reaction. Patients often become listless or unconscious and show a high fever, rapid heartbeat, and falling blood pressure. Internally, blood leaks through their vessel walls, a catastrophic event that swells nearby tissues. Fluid collects in the lungs, and sluggish blood flow starves organs of nourishment.