Extract:
Sepsis is the leading cause of death in intensive care units. It results from the host's systemic response to
infection, which at times can be deleterious. Although initially perceived as potentially harmful,
catalytic antibodies have been proposed as participants in the removal of metabolic wastes and protection against
infection. We have recently documented that the presence of
immunoglobulin G (
IgG) in plasma, which has a
serine protease-like hydrolytic activity, strongly correlates with survival from
sepsis, thus providing the first evidence that hydrolytic
antibodies might play a role in recovery from a disease. It remains, however, unclear whether
catalytic antibodies play a direct bactericidal role, participate in the control of disseminated microvascular
thrombosis, and/or regulate
inflammation. We propose that the catalytic potential of natural
IgG may be the basis for an alternative complementary treatment of
sepsis in the future.