Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Sep 2001
Targeted adenovirus-induced expression of IL-10 decreases thymic apoptosis and improves survival in murine sepsis.
Sepsis remains a significant clinical conundrum, and recent clinical trials with anticytokine therapies have produced disappointing results. Animal studies have suggested that increased lymphocyte apoptosis may contribute to sepsis-induced mortality. ⋯ Improvements in survival were associated with increases in Bcl-2 expression and reductions in caspase-3 activity and thymocyte apoptosis. These studies demonstrate that thymic apoptosis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of sepsis and identifies a gene therapy approach for its therapeutic intervention.