Another pathogenic mechanism involves the release of iron from cell-free hemoglobin with consecutive radical formation, which in turn can modify lipids, proteins, and DNA, leading to inflammation [39].
Lipid A alone, however, does not appear to affect the osmotic resistance of red blood cells [127].
Hemodynamics will be impaired, which on the one hand can lead to the production of oxygen radicals and thus directly to tissue damage.
However, 6 years later, Heyes and co-workers demonstrated in an experimental study in rats that infusions of thrombin induce DIC accompanied with hemolysis and schistocytosis [89].
Recently, using a rat model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammation, our own collaboration could show that argatroban (a specific direct thrombin inhibitor and consequently an inhibitor of coagulation) abolishes DIC, schistocyte formation, and hemolysis.
Eryptosis is tightly regulated and triggered by a wide range of (endogenous) mediators and stimuli such as calcium signaling, ceramide formation, complement activation, energy depletion, eicosanoid release, hemolysin, and heme [140–142].
Interestingly, inhibition of coagulation is capable of diminishing DIC and hemolysis but not antiplatelet therapy—treatment with eptifibatide (an antiplatelet drug of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor class) failed to reduce LPS-induced DIC, schistocyte formation, and hemolysis.
Without sufficient glucose supply, red blood cells will starve and perish and cytoplasmic components will release. Hemolysis will be the consequence [120].
Recently, our own collaboration could show that moderate glucose supply reduces hemolysis in rats treated with LPS to induce systemic inflammation [121].
In infectious diseases, such as malaria and sepsis, high amounts of cell-free hemoglobin and heme were found [8], suggesting that hemolysis during sepsis and systemic inflammation is of pathophysiological relevance.
Heme released from cell-free hemoglobin has been described to be an activator of TLR-4 [39, 41, 42].
Heme/TLR-4 signaling, moreover, was found to activate NF-κB and trigger vaso-occlusion [42].
Cell-free hemoglobin and its prosthetic group heme can contribute to organ dysfunction and death [1–4, 9–12]; the pathological mechanisms include nitric oxide consumption, vasoconstriction, oxidative injury to lipid membranes, activation of the transcription factor NF-κB, endothelial injury as well as iron-driven oxidative inhibition of glucose metabolism[10–14].
Already in 1941, Macfarlane and collaborators described hemolysis due to loss of lecithin from the red blood cell membrane in consequence of an infection with Clostridium perfingens [128, 130].
In animal experiments, the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce systemic inflammation leads to a significant increase in plasma concentration of cell-free hemoglobin as well [5–8].
Due to these properties, LPS can easily be incorporated into the membrane of (red blood) cells, alter their membrane properties, and thus promote cell death [123, 124].
We found, moreover, a decreased osmotic resistance and membrane stiffness of washed red blood cells treated with LPS [80, 81].
One crucial factor in pathogenesis of systemic inflammation/sepsis is an impaired microcirculation [99].
The cause of sepsis is primarily an exaggerated, generalized inflammatory response to an extrinsic stimulus. Mechanistically, so-called PAMPs (pathogen-associated molecular patterns) lead to the activation of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as tolllike receptors (TLRs) and C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) [28, 29].
This study further supports the concept that fibrin deposition in the blood vessels as a result of DIC might contribute to red blood cell fragmentation and, in turn, hemolysis [89].
Moreover, longer storage duration of red blood cells is associated with an increased risk of acute lung injury in patients with sepsis [63].
Some pathogens are capable of causing hemolysis by cytolytic toxins.
During DIC, fibrin strands within the fibrin mesh formed could cut red blood cells, resulting in the formation of schistocytes (strongly deformed red blood cells or fragments of red blood cells) and the release of hemoglobin.
Essential for the development of DIC during sepsis is the so-called pro-coagulatory shift of the endothelial cells, caused among others by an increased expression of tissue factor and adhesion molecules especially by damaged endothelial cells [87].
However, also the anaphylatoxins C3a and C5a may lead to cellular and organ disturbances [75].
Ultimately, activation of the complement cascade results in formation of the terminal complement complex C5b-9, the so-called membrane attack complex, and consequently a pore formation resulting in osmotic lysis of the target [71]. In the case of red blood cells, hemolysis will result.
During extravascular hemolysis, the IgG-coated red blood cells are degraded in the so-called reticuloendothelial systems such as liver, spleen, and lymph nodes.
The earliest documented effect of PFTs is their ability to rapidly kill red blood cells through osmotic lysis.
In recent years, it has also been shown that toll-like receptors and other pattern recognition receptors are activated not only by extrinsic factors but also by intrinsic stimuli (so called damage-associated molecular patterns, DAMPs) that are released when the host cell is damaged [27, 29].
The cytokines released can further lead to pronounced peripheral vasodilation with arterial hypotension by activating the inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS) and the subsequent formation of NO [30].
Furthermore, a massive release of cytokines will shift the balance between pro- and anti-coagulatory factors in the blood, which will lead to increased coagulation of the blood (coagulopathy).
Inhibition of the terminal complement cascade by eculizumab (inhibits the cleavage of C5 into C5a und C5b and thus the formation of the membrane attack complex 8, MAC C5b-C9) for the treatment of hemolytic paroxymal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) significantly prevented PNH-related symptoms in patients including abnormal thrombophilia, red blood cell destruction, and the extent of hemolysis [76].
In a case report, Bull and Kuhn presented the pathogenesis of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia in a patient with an infiltrating adenocarcinoma [88]. In that patient, they found large numbers of micro-clots composed of fine fibrin strands in his vasculature.
It is crucial, hence, to further investigate the mechanisms of sepsis-induced hemolysis with the aim of deriving possible therapeutic principles. Herein, we collected the most important previously known triggers of hemolysis during sepsis, which are (1) transfusion reactions and complement activation, (2) disseminated intravascular coagulation, (3) capillary stopped-flow, (4) restriction of glucose to red blood cells, (5) changes in red blood cell membrane properties, (6) hemolytic pathogens, and (7) red blood cell apoptosis.
Thus, the complement system may be causally involved in the onset of hemolysis during sepsis [74] by directly damaging the red blood cells upon activation as a result of detecting pathogen structures [73].
If glucose consumption further exceeds glucose production or uptake, finally hypoglycemia occurs [118].
Extravascular hemolysis, however, results from Rh incompatibility of red blood cells [72] and is complement independent [71].
Nevertheless, the crosstalk between glucose and heme metabolism in sepsis is bidirectional since an excessive accumulation of cell-free heme following hemolysis influences the glucose metabolism by iron-driven oxidative inhibition of the glucose-6-phosphatase (a liver enzymes being important for endogenous glucose production via gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis) [14].
Similar to HUS, during sepsis an activation not just of the complement system but also of the coagulation system has been described (essentially in consequence of the so-called pro-coagulant shift of the endothelial cells), which offers us the next possible cause of hemolysis during sepsis: destruction of the red blood cells in the fibrin mesh.
Most hemolytic transfusion reactions^ can be attributed to ABO antibodies (ABO incompatibility of red blood cells) leading to intravascular hemolysis [69, 70] as a consequence of robust complement activation [71].
On the other hand, eryptosis is associated with anemia, microcirculatory derangement, and thrombosis [142, 144].
A higher glucose requirement is covered, then, by increased glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis [37, 118].
Finally, a bi-directional crosstalk between hemolysis and coagulation was postulated with induction of tissue factor by cell-free hemoglobin as potentially central mechanism for hemolysis to trigger coagulation [87].
One of the mechanisms by which cell-free hemoglobin exerts its detrimental effects is its ability to effectively scavenge nitric oxide (NO), which in turn leads to perfusion disorders and an increased arterial and pulmonary arterial pressure [39, 40].
Thus, the intravenous administration of hemoglobin in LPS-pretreated mice leads to a higher TNF- α concentration and an increased mortality; in turn, these effects could be inhibited by hemoglobin antibodies [33, 34].
Heme released from cell-free hemoglobin on oxidation is bound by hemopexin and degraded by hepatocytes in the liver [12].
Vinchi and co-workers proved that the hemoglobin scavenger hemopexin prevents from hepatic microvascular stasis induced by intravascular hemolysis (using a mouse model of heme overloadin wild-typemicecomparedtohemopexin-nullmice) [116].
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)—the main constituent of the outer cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria—is known to bind to the pathogen recognition receptor TLR-4 and to activate the innate immune and hemostatic systems.
Once cell-free hemoglobin was bound by its scavenger haptoglobin, the resulting haptoglobin–hemoglobin complex will bind to CD163 on the surface of macrophages/monocytes to initiate endocytosis and degradation of the complex [12, 39].
Normally, cellfree hemoglobin will dimerize and rapidly be bound by its hemoglobin scavengers haptoglobin and hemopexin [12].
The same applies to hemolysin. For one thing, the pore-forming toxin hemolysin is one the pathogens’ tools of causing hemolysis or releasing hemoglobin and poorly available iron [139]; then again it trigger eryptosis, one mechanism of protecting against hemolysis [142].
From hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), we know that damage to the endothelium (endothelial lesions) might be the primary cause of hemolysis.
During HUS, endothelial lesions cause a complement dependent activation of immune response and local thrombus formation—attachment of fibrin and platelets to the endothelial lesions and consequently disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)—and further mechanical destruction of the red blood cells in the fibrin mesh resulting in hemolysis [82].
There are various studies that show a relationship between microvascular stasis and intravascular hemolysis. Already in 1940, Mumme described that renal stasis causes hemolysis [108].
On the other hand, impaired microcirculation in the tissue usually causes local ischemia (circulatory disorders and lack of oxygen in the tissue) and often results in multiple organ failure [31].
They concluded that intravascular coagulation must be the most likely cause of this microangiopathic hemolytic anemia.
A severe sepsis further was defined as sepsis with organ dysfunction and a septic shock as severe sepsis with cardiovascular collapse that does not respond to fluid intake [23].
DIC is characterized by a systemic intravascular coagulation, formation of microvascular thrombi, insufficiently compensated consumption of platelets and coagulation factors, and eventually bleeding tendency [84].
Sepsis/systemic inflammation is frequently associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) being a predictor of mortality in septic patients [84, 85].
Thus, hemolysis can act as a kind of amplifier of the complex response to an infection or injury [8, 15] and worsen the outcome from animals and patients with systemic inflammation, sepsis, or trauma [1–4, 10].
Crucial for a sepsis, thus, was the presence of at least two of four criteria of a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which includes (1) fever (≥ 38.0 °C) or hypothermia (≤ 36.0 °C), (2) tachycardia (heart rate ≥ 90/min), (3) tachypnea (frequency ≥ 20/min) or hyperventilation, and (4) leukocytosis (white blood cells ≥ 12,000/mm3) or leukopenia (white blood cells ≤ 4000/mm3).
Both clinical [1–4] and experimental [5–8] studies have shown that sepsis and systemic inflammation lead to a massive release of hemoglobin from red blood cells (hemolysis) being accompanied with an increased risk of death [1–4, 8, 9].
Furthermore, fibrinolysis (dissolution of a blood clot) is also regularly inhibited in the early stages of sepsis [86].
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