Bench-to-bedside review: Angiopoietin signalling in critical illness – a future target?

Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) occurs in response to major insults such as sepsis, severe haemorrhage, trauma, major surgery and pancreatitis. The mortality rate is high despite intensive supportive care. The pathophysiological mechanism underlying MODS are not entirely clear, although several have been proposed. Overwhelming inflammation, immunoparesis, occult oxygen debt and other mechanisms have been investigated, and – despite many unanswered questions – therapies targeting these mechanisms have been developed. Unfortunately, only a few interventions, usually those targeting multiple mechanisms at the same time, have appeared to be beneficial. We clearly need to understand better the mechanisms that underlie MODS. The endothelium certainly plays an active role in MODS. It functions at the intersection of several systems, including inflammation, coagulation, haemodynamics, fluid and electrolyte balance, and cell migration. An important regulator of these systems is the angiopoietin/Tie2 signalling system. In this review we describe this signalling system, giving special attention to what is known about it in critically ill patients and its potential as a target for therapy.