AUTHOR=Leligdowicz Aleksandra , Richard-Greenblatt Melissa , Wright Julie , Crowley Valerie M. , Kain Kevin C. TITLE=Endothelial Activation: The Ang/Tie Axis in Sepsis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=9 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00838 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2018.00838 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Sepsis, a dysregulated host response to infection that causes life-threatening organ dysfunction, is a highly heterogeneous syndrome with no specific treatment. Although sepsis can be caused by a wide variety of pathogenic organisms, endothelial dysfunction leading to vascular leak is a common mechanism of injury that contributes to the morbidity and mortality associated with the syndrome. Perturbations to the angiopoietin (Ang)/Tie2 axis cause endothelial cell activation and contribute to the pathogenesis of sepsis. In this review, we summarize how the Ang/Tie2 pathway is implicated in sepsis and describe its prognostic as well as therapeutic utility in life-threatening infections.