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The acute inflammatory response in diverse shock states
Carson C Chow1, Gilles Clermont, Rukmini Kumar
1Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pensylvania 15261, USA.
Shock (Augusta, Ga.)
|July 1, 2005
Summary
A mathematical model suggests that diverse shock states, including those from endotoxin and trauma, may stem from a universal inflammatory response. This universal system is initiated differently but follows predictable immune and endocrine pathways.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Systems Biology
- Mathematical Modeling
Background:
- Acute inflammatory responses, if uncontrolled, can lead to organ dysfunction and mortality.
- Severe systemic inflammation arises from various triggers like endotoxins, trauma, and hemorrhage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if diverse shock states originate from a single, universal inflammatory system.
- To determine if this universal system is initiated differently but follows common cellular and molecular pathways.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mathematical model of acute inflammation in C57Bl/6 mice.
- Incorporation of experimental data on inflammatory responses.
- Calibration of the model using non-lethal inflammatory paradigms.
Main Results:
- A single mathematical model, incorporating the autonomic system, successfully described responses to various insults.
- The model predicted lethal endotoxin doses despite calibration with non-lethal data.
- Demonstrated that complex inflammatory biology can be mathematically modeled.
Conclusions:
- Shock states induced by diverse physiological challenges may arise from a universal inflammatory response.
- This universal response is initiated through different pathways but modulated by common immune and endocrine mechanisms.
- Mathematical modeling provides a framework for understanding complex inflammatory processes.