Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 3, 2026
Evaluation of a Reliable Biomarker in a Cecal Ligation and Puncture-Induced Mouse Model of Sepsis
Published on: December 9, 2022
Lubricin as a Therapeutic and Potential Biomarker in Sepsis
Holly Richendrfer1, Gregory D Jay1
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Research Laboratory, Rhode Island Hospital, 1 Hoppin Street, CORO West, Room 4.303, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Abstract:
Proteoglycan 4 (or lubricin), a mucin-like glycoprotein, was originally classified as a lubricating substance within diarthrodial joints. More recently, lubricin has been found in other tissues and has been implicated in 2 inflammatory pathways within the cell, via the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and CD44. Lubricin is an antagonist of TLR2 and TLR4, and appears to enter cells via the CD44 receptor. Because of lubricin's action on these receptors, downstream processes of inflammation are halted, thereby preventing release of cytokines (a hallmark of inflammation and sepsis) from the cell, indicating lubricin's role as a biomarker and possible therapeutic for sepsis.
