Humane end points in experimental models of septic shock: a must, not a superfluous nightmare for researchers!

摘要

In this issue of Shock, Huet et al. report on the development of a "mouse clinical assessment score for sepsis" (M-CASS), which aims at providing well-defined, accurate humane criteria for termination of experiments on septic shock models while simultaneously avoiding death as an end point. Based on behavioral data and scores available from the literature, the authors determined four stages of severity and tested their system over 5 days of KLebsiella-indnced pneumonia. The M-CASS data were related to blood concentrations of various proinflammatory cytokines, parameters of tissue oxidative and nitrosative stress, and a variety of markers of visceral organ dysfunction and injury. The M-CASS showed high internal consistency as documented by the scoring values obtained from seven laboratory members, and there was a remarkable relation between the different severity stages and the biochemical markers of organ dysfunction and the immune response. Of note, the degree of sepsis-induced hypothermia, which is a common phenomenon during murine sepsis, proved to be useful only at profound hypothermia (defined as <28°C).