Severity of sepsis is correlated with the elevation of serum high-mobility group box 1 in rats.
BACKGROUND
Sepsis is a leading cause of death in the intensive care units. The late inflammatory cytokine, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), plays a critical role in sepsis. In the present study, we investigated the association between the serum HMGB1 levels and the severity of organ injury in the lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis in rats.


METHODS
To produce an animal model of sepsis with different degree of organ injury, animals were treated with three different doses of lipopolysaccharide (4, 8 and 16 mg/kg), and the animals in control group were treated with the same volume of the vehicle (saline). The levels of serum HMGB1 were measured at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 and 48 hours after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or vehicle injection, meanwhile the biochemical and histopathological indicators for the severity of organ injury were assessed.


RESULTS
The level of HMGB1 had a positive, high correlation with the abnormal changes of serum cardiac troponin I, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, as well as the pathologic scores of heart, lung, liver and kidney.


CONCLUSIONS
The level of serum HMGB1 is highly correlated with the severity of sepsis in rats, suggesting that HMGB1 could serve as a valuable adjunct in the diagnosis and management of sepsis.
Hou
Li-chao
LC
Department of Anesthesiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, China.
Qin
Ming-zhe
MZ
Zheng
Li-na
LN
Lu
Yan
Y
Wang
Qiang
Q
Peng
Dao-rong
DR
Yu
Xin-ping
XP
Xin
Yu-chang
YC
Ji
Gen-lin
GL
Xiong
Li-ze
LZ
D000818:Animals; D024243:HMGB1 Protein / Q000097:blood*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology
D024243:HMGB1 Protein; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides