Bacterial Porins and Their Implication in Pathophysiology of Septic Complications In Vitro and In Vivo

Dear Colleagues,

Bacterial porins control cellular interactions with host proteins and other circulating substances, such as drugs and nutrients. They may act as toxins, damaging different systems and organs in the host. For this reason, they play a fundamental role in the processes involved in drug resistance and bacterial-induced complications, such as thrombosis, bleeding, and septic shock. Our in vitro experience in the early 2000s showed that bacterial porin from salmonella is able to activate the clotting cascade with the direct activation of thrombin, explaining its frequent association with thrombosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Furthermore, resistance towards drugs other than antibiotics may also explain other types of complications, such as kidney or liver failure. Therefore, this special issue of Toxins is directed to scholars that are experts not only in the field of bacterial porins, but also in the clinical spectrum of their induced complications, such as septic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombosis of small or large vessels, and kidney or liver failure.

Dr. Pierpaolo Di Micco
Dr. Alessandro Perrella
Dr. Olga Scudiero
Topic Editors