Sepsis is a characteristic set of systemic reactions to overwhelming infection that remains a major cause of death in critically ill patients. Endotoxins or lipopolysaccharides from gram-negative bacteria play a major role in the pathogenesis by inducing an over-production of inflammatory cytokines, which usually triggers beneficial inflammatory responses but causes tissue injury and lethal multiple organ failure in excessive amounts. The production of inflammatory cytokines depends on the activation of many intracellular signaling pathways, including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway and three mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. This review of important MAPK pathways underscores the essential role of MKP-1 in the negative control of sepsis. Herein is a summary of the roles of MAPK pathways in the production of inflammatory cytokines and the possibility of targeting these pathways for the treatment of sepsis.
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