Abstract
During the course of polymicrobial sepsis, a range of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines are produced by the host immune system. Successful recovery from sepsis involves striking a balance between these counteracting cytokines. We herein investigated the circulating cytokine profiles in
preprotachykinin-A
knockout (
PPTA
−/−
) mice, which have been found to be protected significantly against microbial sepsis, by employing multiplexed bead-based suspension arrays for the measurement of 18 plasma cytokines. Four sets of
PPTA
−/−
and wild-type mice, each with six mice, were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis or a sham procedure and were killed at 1, 5, 8 and 24 h post surgery. The cytokine profiles revealed, rather interestingly, that both pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines were elevated in the knockout group in response to a septic challenge. The higher systemic levels of both pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in
PPTA
−/−
septic mice was similar to the increase that we observed earlier in lung tissue of
PPTA
−/−
mice after induction of sepsis. Thus, elevated levels of both pro- and antiinflammatory mediators may act simultaneously and help to resolve the infectious assault at the early stages of sepsis without excessively damaging the host tissue in
PPTA
−/−
mice. In addition, our results underline the importance of comprehensive clinical analysis of multiple biomarkers to provide a better prognostic tool.