[Advances in high mobility group box-1 protein mediated multiple organ dysfunction and its potential interventional...

High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) has recently been shown as a crucial late mediator of inflammation and sepsis, and is involved in mediating multi-organ functional lesions, including acute lung, liver, and intestine injuries. As a delayed inflammatory cytokine, HMGB1 provides a wider therapeutic time window for clinical intervention. HMGB1 has been proven to be a promising therapeutic target to prevent the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in experimental models of severe sepsis. The pharmacological strategies include neutralization of antibodies or specific HMGB1 antagonists, suppression of HMGB1 secretion (ethyl pyruvate, agonists for alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors), and down-regulation of HMGB1 expression (sodium butyrate, signaling inhibitors for Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription).