Erythrocyte P2X 1 receptor expression is correlated with change in haematocrit in patients admitted to the ICU with blood pathogen-positive sepsis

Pore-forming proteins released from bacteria or formed as result of complement activation are known to produce severe cell damage. Inhibition of purinergic P2X receptors markedly reduces damage inflicted by cytolytic bacterial toxin and after complement activation in both erythrocytes and monocytes. P2X expression generally shows variation throughout the population. Here, we investigate correlation between P2X receptor abundance in blood cell plasma membranes and haematocrit during sepsis, in patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) or intensive care unit (ICU). Patients admitted to the ED and successively transferred to ICU with the diagnosis sepsis (