High-mobility group box 1 contributes to lethality of endotoxemia in heme oxygenase-1-deficient mice.

ABSTRACT: High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a nuclear protein that has been found to be a critical mediator of lethality in endotoxemia and sepsis. During the systemic inflammatory response, circulating levels of HMGB1 are increased, but in a delayed fashion compared with early inflammatory mediators. To counteract the inflammatory response of endotoxemia, a secondary anti-inflammatory response ensues in an attempt to prevent inflammation-induced tissue injury. One such cytoprotective gene that is induced during endotoxemia is heme oxygenase (HO)-1. HO-1, and its products of heme metabolism, possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to counter the damaging effects of endotoxemia. In the present study, we wanted to determine whether tissue and circulating levels of HMGB1 are increased f

SUBMITTER: Takamiya R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2715902 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature