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Author Spotlight: Developing Innovative Therapeutic Strategies for Hemorrhagic Shock Research
Published on: March 22, 2024
The Autodigestion Hypothesis in Shock and Multi-Organ Failure: Degrading Protease Activity
Geert W Schmid-Schönbein1, Alex Penn1, Erik Kistler1
1Microcirculation Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, The Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 - 0412.
None:
Shock and multi-organ failure have one of the highest levels of inflammatory markers, morbidities and mortality. The underlying mechanisms are currently unknown and no effective intervention exists. We present evidence for a previously untested mechanism due to autodigestion by the digestive enzymes synthesized in the pancreas and transported in the lumen of the intestine as normal part of food digestion. We summarize experimental evidence in support of the autodigestion hypothesis and a new approach for possible intervention against multi-organ failure that is currently entering clinical trials.
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