Endothelial cell metabolism in sepsis

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction in sepsis is a pathophysiological feature of septic organ failure. Endothelial cells (ECs) exhibit specific metabolic traits and release metabolites to adapt to the septic state in the blood to maintain vascular homeostasis. METHODS: Web of Science and PubMed were searched from inception to October 1, 2022. The search was limited to the English language only. Two reviewers independently identified studies related to EC metabolism in sepsis. The exclusion criteria were duplicate articles according to multiple search criteria. RESULTS: Sixty articles were included, and most of them were cell and animal studies. These studies reported the role of glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism in EC homeostasis. including glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. However, dysregulation of EC metabolism can contribute to sepsis progression. CONCLUSION: There are few clinical studies on EC metabolism in sepsis. Related research mainly focuses on basic research, but some scientific problems have also been clarified. Therefore, this review may provide an overall comprehension and novel aspects of EC metabolism in sepsis.