A Comparative Review of Cytokines and Cytokine Targeting in Sepsis: From Humans to Horses.
Abstract: With the emergence of COVID-19, there is an increased focus in human literature on cytokine production, the implications of cytokine overproduction, and the development of novel cytokine-targeting therapies for use during sepsis. In addition to viral infections such as COVID-19, bacterial infections resulting in exposure to endotoxins and exotoxins in humans can also lead to sepsis, resulting in organ failure and death. Like humans, horses are exquisitely sensitive to endotoxin and are among the veterinary species that develop clinical sepsis similar to humans. These similarities suggest that horses may serve as a naturally occurring model of human sepsis. Indeed, evidence shows that both species experience cytokine dysregulation, severe neutropenia, the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, and decreased perfusion parameters during sepsis. Sepsis treatments that target cytokines in both species include hemoperfusion therapy, steroids, antioxidants, and immunomodulation therapy. This review will present the shared cytokine physiology across humans and horses as well as historical and updated perspectives on cytokine-targeting therapy. Finally, this review will discuss the potential benefits of increased knowledge of equine cytokine mechanisms and their potential positive impact on human medicine.
Publication Date: 2024-09-05 PubMed ID: 39273060DOI: 10.3390/cells13171489Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Review
- Comparative Study
Summary
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The research looks at cytokine production and its effect when overproduced, particularly in response to sepsis. The article highlights similarities between human and horse immune responses to sepsis, suggesting that horses could serve as a model for studying human sepsis. The research also discusses potential treatments that target cytokines, such as steroids and antioxidants. The study concludes that more understanding of horse cytokine mechanisms could benefit human medicine.
Cytokine Production and Sepsis
- The paper focuses on the production of cytokines, which are proteins that play a crucial role in cell signaling.
- Particularly, it looks at their overproduction (cytokine dysregulation), which occurs in sepsis, a potentially life-threatening condition characterised by the body’s extreme response to an infection.
- This condition can result from viral infections such as COVID-19, as well as bacterial infections, which lead to exposure to endotoxins and exotoxins.
- Overproduction of cytokines can lead to organ failure and death in severe cases.
Horses as a Naturally Occurring Model of Human Sepsis
- The paper highlights that horses have a similar immune response to sepsis as humans, making them a potential model for studying human sepsis.
- Both species experience a similar set of responses to sepsis, including cytokine dysregulation, severe neutropenia (a low neutrophil count), formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (structures released by neutrophils to capture pathogens), and decreased perfusion parameters.
Cytokine-Targeting Therapy for Sepsis
- The research discusses potential treatments for sepsis that target cytokines, including hemoperfusion therapy (a blood-purification technique), steroids, antioxidants, and immunomodulation therapy (aimed at regulating or normalising the immune response).
- These treatments can potentially address cytokine dysregulation and aid in the recovery from sepsis in both humans and horses.
Implications for Human Medicine
- Within the conclusion of the paper, the authors suggest that a more comprehensive understanding of equine cytokine mechanisms could have significant benefits for human medicine.
- This increased knowledge could potentially inform the development of new treatments and therapies for sepsis.
Cite This Article
APA
Hobbs KJ, Bayless R, Sheats MK.
(2024).
A Comparative Review of Cytokines and Cytokine Targeting in Sepsis: From Humans to Horses.
Cells, 13(17), 1489.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13171489 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27526, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27526, USA.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27526, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Horses
- Animals
- Humans
- Cytokines / metabolism
- Sepsis / immunology
- Sepsis / drug therapy
- COVID-19 / immunology
- COVID-19 / therapy
- SARS-CoV-2 / immunology
- Disease Models, Animal
Grant Funding
- 2T32OD011130-16 / NIH T-32 Graduate Fellowshi
Citations
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