Effects of Alkaline Phosphatase on Renal Function in Septic Patients

Overview

Septic shock is the most common cause of death in patients requiring intensive care. The kidney is one of the first organs to fail, stressing the importance to search for clinical interventions that may protect the kidneys during sepsis. Alkaline phosphatase functions as a host defence molecule and is present in many cells and organs (e.g. intestine, placenta, liver, kidney and bone). Alkaline phosphatase has a dual mode of action. First, it binds to and, subsequently, dephosphorylates lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Second, the enzymatic reaction product monophosphoryl-LPS is a non-toxic substance for mammals which acts as a partial antagonist on the LPS receptor complex. In several animal studies, administration of alkaline phosphatase attenuates the inflammatory response and reduces mortality. It is unknown whether these results can be extrapolated to septic patients . We studied the effects of alkaline phosphatse administration on kidney damage and function in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

Conditions