Novel Chitohexaose Analog Protects Young and Aged mice from CLP Induced Polymicrobial Sepsis

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

In Gram-negative bacterial sepsis, production of excess pro-inflammatory cytokines results in hyperinflammation and tissue injury. Anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 inhibit inflammation and enhance tissue healing. Here, we report a novel approach to treat septicemia associated with intra-abdominal infection in a murine model by delicately balancing pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. A novel oligosaccharide compoundAVR-25selectively binds to the TLR4 protein (IC50 = 0.15 µM) in human peripheral blood monocytes and stimulates IL-10 production. Following the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) procedure, intravenous dosing ofAVR-25(10 mg/kg, 6–12 h post-CLP) alone and in combination with antibioticimipenemprotected both young adult (10–12 week old) and aged (16–18 month old) mice against polymicrobial infection, organ dysfunction, and death. Proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, MIP-1, i-NOS) were decreased significantly and restoration of tissue damage was observed in all organs. A decrease in serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and bacterial colony forming unit (CFU) confirmed improved bacterial clearance. Together, these findings demonstrate the therapeutic ability ofAVR-25to mitigate the storm of inflammation and minimize tissue injury with high potential for adjunctive therapy in intra-abdominal sepsis.