Fig. 4. Sepsis-induced delayed apoptosis and recruitment of neutrophils into tissues lead to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

The apoptosis of neutrophils is delayed during the first 24 h after the initiation of sepsis. Then neutrophils are recruited and infiltrate into tissues, aggravating the ongoing neutrophil dysfunction with persistent immune dysfunction and inflammation persistence. Neutrophil infiltration in the lungs is a pathological hallmark of sepsis-induced acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome as well as of organ dysfunction in the liver and heart. Representative histological changes in tissues are shown in hematoxylin and eosin-stained samples (original magnification ×400). Arrows denote the recruitment and infiltration of neutrophils into tissues