Figure 5.

Sepsis-linked gut dysbiosis enhanced hepatic pathologic factors expression during polymicrobial sepsis in mice. Mice were intragastrically administered antibiotics once daily for 5 d to deplete the gut microbiota. Then mice were randomly distributed into 2 groups (healthy and sepsis recipient groups). The stool samples from the participants of the 2 groups (healthy individuals and patients with sepsis) were collected and resuspended in PBS at 0.125 g/ml. Then, 0.15 ml was orally inoculated to mice of both groups. After 3 d, the mice were subjected to severe CLP and euthanized 8 h after CLP treatment. A–C) Hepatic p-JNK (A), p-p38 (B), and p-ERK (C) levels (n = 3–6). D) mRNA level of key cytokines, chemokines, coagulation-related factors, and substances of lipid metabolism (n = 12). *P < 0.05.