A Promising Candidate: Heparin-Binding Protein Steps onto the Stage of Sepsis Prediction

Figure 3

HBP is a potent chemoattractant factor for monocytes. This protein can interact with CCR2 to active monocytes directly, or it can trigger the FAK-PI3K-AKT-P38 MAPK-NF-κB axis in ECs to facilitate the secretion of MCP-1, the ligand of CCR2, to induce monocytes to migrate. Additionally, HBP upregulates ICAM, VCAM, and E-selectin in the ECs, ultimately contributing to the adhesion between ECs and monocytes.