The search for novel biomarkers in sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy – A new challenge to overcome

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection and it remains the most frequent cause of death amongst critically ill patients worldwide, despite recent medical advancements. The cardiac involvement in sepsis, better known as sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, represents a form of cardiac dysfunction identified in septic patients, characterized by ventricular dilation, myocardial involvement, decreased ejection fraction and reversibility. Although the implications of cardiac involvement in sepsis can be extremely severe, this affliction has not been intensely debated in literature. Therefore, in order to better understand this affliction, we need to identify new markers. Two biomarkers, endothelin-1 (ET-1) and the soluble form of suppression of tumorigenicity 2 protein (sST2) have previously been linked to both sepsis and acute/chronic heart failure. Endothelin-1 is part of a family of amino acid peptides, that is mainly produced by endothelial cells and exerts a vasoconstrictive effect, but also causes fibrosis of the vascular cells, stimulates production of reactive oxygen species and induces proinflammatory mechanisms. During sepsi