Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Characterizing Modulators of Protease-Activated Receptors with a Calcium Mobilization Assay Using a Plate Reader
Published on: May 24, 2024
Protective effects of activated protein C in sepsis
Lisa J Toltl1, Laura L Swystun, Laura Pepler
1Henderson Research Centre, 711 Concession Street, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Sepsis remains a complex syndrome associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is now widely accepted that the pathways of inflammation, coagulation, apoptosis, and endothelial permeability are intimately linked in sepsis pathophysiology. The clinical success of activated protein C (APC), a natural anticoagulant, in reducing mortality in patients with severe sepsis has fuelled basic and preclinical research on the protective effects of this molecule. Over the past 15 years, impressive research advances have provided novel insights into the multifunctional activities of APC. APC is now viewed not only as an anticoagulant, but also as a cell signaling molecule that dampens the excessive or insufficiently controlled host response during sepsis. This review attempts to summarize the pleiotropic activities of APC with focus on its ability to inhibit coagulation, inflammation, apoptosis, and endothelial barrier breakdown. A comprehensive PUBMED literature review up to May 2008 was conducted.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Clot Retraction and Fibrinolysis
Coagulation
During the coagulation phase, clotting factors, or procoagulants, play a vital role in initiating and progressing the coagulation cascade. This cascade is a series of reactions...
Acute Inflammation III: Local and Systemic Effects
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Antiplatelet Drugs: Prostaglandin Synthesis, P2Y12 and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, exemplified by the widely known aspirin, wield their power by irreversibly acetylating...
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways of Hemostasis
The Extrinsic Pathway
The extrinsic pathway of coagulation is typically initiated by tissue damage that exposes blood to tissue factor (TF), a protein released by the damaged tissue cells outside the blood vessels—this interaction with TF triggers biochemical reactions involving specific clotting factors. The key player here is Factor VII, which forms a...
