Nobiletin: A Citrus Isolate to Make Sepsis Less Sour

Excerpt

Septic shock remains a major concern in critically ill patients. Morbidity, as reflected by cardiovascular instability and sequential organ failure, is high and mortality ranges from 20 to 50 % [1]. Treatment options are scarce and mainly cause-oriented and symptomatic. Substantial efforts to control the coordinate but sometimes profuse and potentially lethal sepsis-induced immuno-inflammatory response remained unsuccessful. Indeed, large studies investigating numerous “magic bullets” interfering with sepsis-related immune-inflammatory or coagulation processes failed to show efficacy on relevant outcome parameters [2‐4]. Also, the theoretical benefit of blood purification by restoring immune homeostasis through indiscriminate removal of inflammatory mediators could not be confirmed [5]. …