Increased capillary permeability tagged posts

Leakage of the vascular tracer (red) from dermal blood vessels (green) in systemic inflammation.
Credit: Laura Hakanpaa / Saharinen Lab.

Increased capillary permeability and subsequent leakage from the capillaries is associated with numerous difficult-to-cure diseases, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), severe Dengue fever and malaria, and sepsis. Currently, there is no effective therapy to inhibit capillary leakage and to maintain vessel stability in these diseases. The latest research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that a monoclonal antibody targeted against β1-integrin inhibits vascular leakage in a mouse model of sepsis.

Integrins are heterodimeric cell surface receptors that mediate interactions between cells and the surro...