Sepsis is associated with acute peritonitis, which can be induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure and feces. Generally, LPS induces mono-microbial peritonitis, whereas feces cause poly-microbial peritonitis; the latter is a more complicated and closer to the clinical diseases. However, the immune responses to sepsis caused by feces-induced acute peritonitis have not been reported. In particular, the roles of natural killer (NK) cells, which generally have pro-angiogenic effects, on feces-induced sepsis are still unclear. Accordingly, in this study, we assessed the roles of NK cells in an acute sepsis model in mice. NK cells (108/kg) were injected via the tail vein into mice with acute sepsis, and nitric oxide (NO), inflammatory factors, and angiogenic factors were tested to explore the effects of NK cells on sepsis. In mice with sepsis, we observed a significant increase in survival in mice after the transfusion of NK cells. Interestingly, the levels of NO, interleukin-10, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) decreased. Consistent with our hypothesis, the transfusion of NK cells into mice with sepsis blocked inflammation and promoted angiogenesis. Overall, these findings suggest that NK cells may block sepsis by modulating the VEGF pathway.
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