Are histones real pathogenic agents in sepsis?

Abstract

DAMPs can activate many of the PRRs [pattern recognition receptors] that also recognize PAMPs [pathogen-associated molecular patterns], giving rise to a vicious cycle that also involves sustained immune activation and organ dysfunction” and “PRRs interact with diverse PAMPs and DAMPs, and this diversity can probably explain the similarity between the inflammatory reactions induced by different pathogens and ... different types of injury, either infectious or non-infectious” (REF. 2). The authors cited two Reviews from major journals to support these statements, and included the role of DAMPs in sepsis pathogenesis in figure 1. Since they fully agree that reporting should be unbiased, they would like to point out that besides histones, many other DAMPs have been implicated in sepsis pathogenesis.