Immune-regulating complex orchestrates protection against sepsis

The prognosis of sepsis, a life-threatening organ dysfunction with high mortality, is closely related to the immune function of the host. It was found that the toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 signaling pathway could be activated to achieve the prevention and treatment of sepsis. Herein, a kind of immune-regulating complex is constructed by simple mixing R848, a TLR 7/8 agonist, with sodium alginate (ALG). Such an immune-regulating complex (R848@ALG) could form a hydrogel in vivo , enabling the sustained release of R848 and thereby activating the immune system. Furthermore, the complex could enhance the function of immune cells to accelerate the clearance of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), reduce the inflammatory injury induced by various cytokines, and increase the survival rate of septic mice. Therefore, our work provides a simple and effective immune-regulating complex for preventing and treating E. coli -induced sepsis.