Abstract
The first line of defense in innate immunity is provided by cellular and humoral mediators. Pentraxins are a superfamily of phylogenetically conserved humoral mediators of innate immunity. PTX3, the first long pentraxin identified, is a soluble pattern recognition molecule rapidly produced by several cell types in response to primary pro-inflammatory signals and microbial recognition. PTX3 acts as an important mediator of innate immunity against pathogens of fungal, bacterial and viral origin, and as a regulator of inflammation, by modulating complement activation and cell extravasation, and facilitating pathogen recognition by myeloid cells. In sepsis, PTX3 plasma levels are associated with severity of the condition, patient survival, and response to therapy. In combination with other established biomarkers, PTX3 could improve stratification of sepsis patients and thus, complement the system of classification and monitoring of this disease.
Highlights
The first line of defense against invading pathogens is provided by the innate immune system that comprises both cellular and humoral arms
Sepsis and its complications are a major cause of death in ICU, with a mortality rate still ranging from 10% in the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), to 60% in septic shock, while the short term mortality remains around 20% [99,100,101]
PTX3 is a soluble pattern recognition receptor rapidly produced in response to primary pro-inflammatory signals and microbial recognition
Summary
The first line of defense against invading pathogens is provided by the innate immune system that comprises both cellular and humoral arms. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that PTX3 interacts with components of the haemostatic system and fibrinolytic cascade, in particular with fibrinogen/fibrin and plasminogen, at acidic conditions, which occur in damaged tissues This interaction promoted remodeling of the fibrin-rich inflammatory matrix ensuring a normal tissue repair in different experiment models [42]. PTX3 increase over basal levels could be already appreciated beginning from 6–8 h after insult, while CRP needs longer times and levels start to be significantly altered only after 24–30 h This is likely the result of local production of PTX3 following detection of bacterial moieties or tissue damage by innate immune cells, combined with the production of the primary pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNFα, main inducers of PTX3. PTX3 levels in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) discriminate patients with invasive aspergillosis from those with other conditions, including
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