Pathogen- and Danger-Associated Molecular Patterns and the Cytokine Response in Sepsis

The sepsis syndrome is a systemic host inflammatory response accompanied by organ dysfunction in response to invading microbial pathogens. The host recognizes both danger and pathogens through its pattern recognition receptors on immune cells. These receptors bind to pathogen- (PAMP) and danger- (DAMP) associated molecular patterns derived from microbes and host tissues, respectively. These processes set in motion a cascade of events in host cells and tissue, which activate multiple cytokines that serve as activators of the host inflammatory response as well as eventually lead to resolution of the response if the host recovers. The following article describes some of these DAMPs and PAMPs, and how they activate pathways that activate the host cytokine immune response to injury and infection.