Nuclear Factor–κB Is Activated in Intestinal Mucosa During Endotoxemia

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Abstract
THERE IS increasing evidence that the intestinal mucosa plays an important role in the inflammatory and metabolic response to sepsis, endotoxemia, and other critical illness.1 In recent studies from our and other laboratories, the local mucosal production of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor,2 interleukin (IL)-1,3 and IL-64 was increased in endotoxemic and septic mice. In other studies, we found that sepsis and endotoxemia were associated with mucosal synthesis of the acute-phase proteins complement component C3 and serum amyloid A.5 The genes for several proinflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins are regulated by the transcription factor nuclear factor–κB (NF-κB), but it is not known whether NF-κB is activated in intestinal mucosa during sepsis and endotoxemia.