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Mode Of Action
WhartSep is the first drug candidate having
3 complementary actions
to tackle the complex physiopathology of septic shock
Anti bacterial Effects
Increase bacterial clearance by direct anti-bacterial effect (due to the secretion of anti-bacterial peptides such as LL37 or Hepcidin) and indirectly (by action on macrophages following a transfer of mitochondria from MSCs to macrophages).
Direct antimicrobial effect via Antimicrobial peptide secretion
Indirect antimicrobial effect via macrophages
Immunomodulation
MSCs have the ability to migrate by themselves to damaged sites and to respond appropriately to the environment in which they are placed, and to acquire an adaptive pro-inflammatory (called MSC1) or anti-inflammatory (called MSC2) phenotype. This capacity to adapt to a context of complex inflammatory and immune dysregulation aims to restore a balanced inflammatory response and makes them a promising and innovative therapeutic tool in septic shock. Moreover, their action aims to modulate the inflammatory response in order to maintain it at a physiological level and to avoid the deleterious hyper-inflammatory state encountered in septic shock. In contrast to the majority of other anti-inflammatory approaches developed in septic shock which generally led to a strong inhibition of the inflammatory response.
Lung Protection
MSCs also have trophic properties, which enable them to reduce immunosuppression (inhibitory effect on apoptosis of immune cells), limit tissue damage and so organ failure due to their anti-apoptotic effect on tissue cells and pro-angiogenic effect increasing vascularisation and tissue oxygenation
