Journal Article

The role of programmed cell death in organ dysfunction induced by opportunistic pathogens

Wang, Yangyanqiu, Weng, Li, Du, Bin, Wu, Xunyao

2025

Overview

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition resulting from pathogen infection and characterized by organ dysfunction. Programmed cell death (PCD) during sepsis has been associated with the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), impacting various physiological systems including respiratory, cardiovascular, renal, neurological, hematological, hepatic, and intestinal systems. It is well-established that pathogen infections lead to immune dysregulation, which subsequently contributes to MODS in sepsis. However, recent evidence suggests that sepsis-related opportunistic pathogens can directly induce organ failure by promoting PCD in parenchymal cells of each affected organ. This study provides an overview of PCD in damaged organ and the induction of PCD in host parenchymal cells by opportunistic pathogens, proposing innovative strategies for preventing organ failure in sepsis.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Apoptosis / Apoptosis - physiology / Autophagy / Autopsies / Bacterial infections / Biochemistry / Cardiomyocytes / Cardiomyopathy / Cell death / Cognition & reasoning / Critical Care Medicine / Cytochrome / Emergency Medicine / Ferroptosis / Health aspects / Heart / Humans / Infection / Infections / Inflammation / Intensive / Kinases / Ligands / Liver / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Methicillin / Mortality / Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome / Multiple Organ Failure - etiology / Multiple Organ Failure - physiopathology / Opportunistic Infections - complications / Opportunistic Infections - physiopathology / Pathogenic microorganisms / Pathogens / Physiological aspects / Proteins / Review / Sepsis / Sepsis - complications / Sepsis - physiopathology / Staphylococcus infections / Tumor necrosis factor-TNF