Alleviation of Post-sepsis Ischaemia by Drag-Reducing Polymers.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Physiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Sepsis, septic shock, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome are leading causes of in-hospital mortality.
• Microvascular dysfunction, inflammation, and coagulopathy characterize sepsis.
• Current sepsis treatments require novel approaches to prevent severe consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of drag-reducing polymers (DRPs) in alleviating sepsis-associated microvascular dysregulation.
• To determine if DRP-enhanced perfusion could mitigate the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis in mice.

Main Methods:

• Acute sepsis was induced in C57BL/6 J mice using intravenous LPS (10 mg/kg).
• DRPs (5 ppm) or saline was administered intravenously 1 hour post-LPS to assess haemorheological modulation.
• In-vivo two-photon laser scanning microscopy monitored cerebral and peripheral microcirculation and tissue oxygenation over 4 hours.

Main Results:

• LPS-induced sepsis caused significant microvascular dysfunction and tissue hypoxia in both brain and peripheral tissues.
• DRP treatment significantly alleviated microthrombosis formation compared to the saline control group (p < 0.05).
• DRPs effectively reduced microvascular dysfunction and tissue hypoxia in both cerebral and peripheral tissues (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Haemorheological modulation using DRPs improves systemic and peripheral circulation in a sepsis model.
• DRPs reduce microthrombosis, microvascular dysfunction, and tissue hypoxia, potentially alleviating sepsis and its associated syndromes.
• DRPs represent a promising therapeutic strategy for managing sepsis, septic shock, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.