Inflammatory imbalance in ambulance patients is associated with sepsis and septic shock

The host immune response in sepsis involves both pro- and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, with monocytes playing a central role in the process. We have previously identified an in vitro response profile of endotoxin (LPS) tolerant primary human monocytes, consisting of eight cytokines/chemokines as well as a set of five transcription factors. In the current study, we evaluated differences in expression levels of these investigated molecular markers across different patient groups (patients with or without infection, and with or without sepsis), and their association with clinical outcomes (septic shock and in-hospital mortality), among 809 ambulance patients. The results showed that patients with sepsis displayed the lowest HLA-DRA expression levels together with the lowest TNF/IL-10 ratio, while most other cytokine/chemokines and gene expressions were elevated. Higher levels of HGF, CCL8, CCL2, TNF and IL-10, as well as upregulation of HIF1A and NFKBIA were seen in septic patients with septic shock. The data suggests that the investigated immunological markers linked to immunosuppressed monocyte responses are associated with patients with sepsis and septic shock.