Nijland Reindert, Hofland Tom, van Strijp Jos A G
Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Mar Drugs. 2014 Jul 23;12(7):4260-73. doi: 10.3390/md12074260.
LPS molecules of marine bacteria show structures distinct from terrestrial bacteria, due to the different environment that marine bacteria live in. Because of these different structures, lipid A molecules from marine bacteria are most often poor stimulators of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway. Due to their low stimulatory potential, these lipid A molecules are suggested to be applicable as antagonists of TLR4 signaling in sepsis patients, where this immune response is amplified and unregulated. Antagonizing lipid A molecules might be used for future therapies against sepsis, therapies that currently do not exist. In this review, we will discuss these differences in lipid A structures and their recognition by the immune system. The modifications present in marine lipid A structures are described, and their potential as LPS antagonists will be discussed. Finally, since clinical trials built on antagonizing lipid A molecules have proven unsuccessful, we propose to also focus on different aspects of the TLR4 signaling pathway when searching for new potential drugs. Furthermore, we put forward the notion that bacteria probably already produce inhibitors of TLR4 signaling, making these bacterial products interesting molecules to investigate for future sepsis therapies.
由于海洋细菌所处的环境不同,海洋细菌的脂多糖(LPS)分子呈现出与陆地细菌不同的结构。由于这些不同的结构,海洋细菌的脂质A分子通常是Toll样受体4(TLR4)信号通路的弱刺激物。鉴于其低刺激潜力,这些脂质A分子被认为可作为脓毒症患者TLR4信号传导的拮抗剂,在脓毒症患者中这种免疫反应会被放大且失控。拮抗脂质A分子可能用于未来治疗脓毒症,而目前尚无此类疗法。在本综述中,我们将讨论脂质A结构的这些差异以及免疫系统对它们的识别。描述了海洋脂质A结构中存在的修饰,并将讨论它们作为LPS拮抗剂的潜力。最后,鉴于基于拮抗脂质A分子的临床试验已被证明不成功,我们建议在寻找新的潜在药物时也关注TLR4信号通路的不同方面。此外,我们提出这样的观点,即细菌可能已经产生了TLR4信号传导的抑制剂,使得这些细菌产物成为未来脓毒症治疗中值得研究的有趣分子。