Neutrophil activity in sepsis: a systematic review

Abstract

The neutrophil is an important cell in host defense against infections, acting as the first line of microorganism control. However, this cell exhibits dysregulated activity in sepsis and may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. This systematic review aimed to highlight the major scientific findings regarding neutrophil activity in sepsis reported in clinical and experimental research published in the last 10 years. The search was conducted in the Virtual Health Library of PAHO-WHO (BVS) and PubMed databases, and articles published between January 2007 and May 2017 in Portuguese, English, and Spanish were eligible. Article selection was carried out independently by two reviewers (CB and IB). A total of 233 articles were found, of which 87 were identified on PubMed and 146 on BVS. Eighty-two articles were duplicates. Of the remaining 151 articles, 19 met the inclusion criteria after title, abstract, and full-text analysis. Overall, research in clinical samples and animal models of sepsis showed reduced capacity of neutrophils to migrate and delayed apoptosis, but there was no consensus on the phagocytic activity of neutrophils in sepsis. Molecules, such as pentraxin 3 (PTX3), have been analyzed as potential diagnostic markers in sepsis but the diversity of soluble molecules detected in blood samples of sepsis patients did not enable further understanding of the correlation of these circulating molecules with neutrophil activity during sepsis. Optimal understanding of the function of neutrophils in sepsis remains a challenge that, if overcome, would eventually allow targeted therapeutic interventions in patients affected by this severe syndrome.

The Value of a Complete Blood Count (CBC) for Sepsis Diagnosis and Prognosis

“…Under physiological conditions, neutrophils undergo apoptosis to maintain their homeostasis. However, during sepsis, neutrophils undergo several functional alterations, including reduced migration, altered antimicrobial activity, and delayed apoptosis, contributing to immune dysfunction and persistent inflammation [39,40]. Altogether, neutrophil alterations contribute to the worsening of sepsis and the development of secondary complications.…”

“…Platelet indices include the platelet distribution width (PDW), which is a measure of platelet anisocytosis, which, accordingly, increases during accelerated platelet turnover; the mean platelet volume (MPV), which is an indicator of platelet size; and plateletcrit, a measure of total platelet mass. Some authors showed that platelet indices are reliable prognostic biomarkers of sepsis, whereas others found the opposite [39,96,98]. To date, there are few studies to draw a conclusion on the potential role of platelet indices as biomarkers of sepsis.…”

Novel neutrophil subsets associated with sepsis, vascular dysfunction and metabolic alterations identified using systems immunology

“…Nevertheless, comprehensive approaches that profile the immune response more holistically in sepsis patients are still lacking 7,47,48 . Specifically, the functional impact of different neutrophil subsets in sepsis is not completely understood 46,49 .…”

Cell Death and Functional Activity of Neutrophils in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure With Endotoxemia

“…LPS вызывает ингибирование апоптоза нейтрофилов при бактериальной инфекции (грамотрицательный сепсис), сахарном диабете, сердечно-сосудистых, нейродегенеративных заболеваниях [7]. Под действием LPS в нейтрофилах увеличивается продукция АФК, провоспалительных цитокинов и различных медиаторов воспаления [8].…”

“…Действие LPS, помимо продуцирования АФК, вызывает синтез различных провоспалительных цитокинов [5,7]. Наши исследования функциональных свойств нейтрофилов больных с ХСН показали, что в данном случае наблюдается увеличение продукции провоспалительных цитокинов (по сравнению с нейтрофилами контрольной группы): TNFα, IL-1b, IL-6 (рис.…”