Pro-resolving lipid mediators in sepsis and critical illness

Purpose of review Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by a dysregulated host response to infection that remains a huge clinical challenge. Recent evidence indicates that bioactive lipid mediators derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids termed specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are promising new candidates for treating critical illness. Recent findings We highlight herein the protective actions of SPMs in experimental sepsis, cardiac dysfunction, and also lung and cerebral injury, and discuss their mechanisms of action. We also emphasize that failed resolution responses and dysregulated SPM pathways may provide an explanation for the ongoing chronic inflammation in many diseases including chronic heart failure. Importantly, monitoring plasma SPM profiles can predict patient outcomes in sepsis indicating their utility as new early biomarkers that may help stratify patients upon ICU admission.