Innate Immunity as an Executor of the Programmed Death of Individual Organisms for the Benefit of the Entire Population |
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Authors: | Boris V Chernyak Konstantin G Lyamzaev Armen Y Mulkidjanian |
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Affiliation: | 1.Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992 Moscow, Russia;2.School of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992 Moscow, Russia;3.Department of Physics, Osnabrueck University, D-49069 Osnabrueck, Germany |
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Abstract: | In humans, over-activation of innate immunity in response to viral or bacterial infections often causes severe illness and death. Furthermore, similar mechanisms related to innate immunity can cause pathogenesis and death in sepsis, massive trauma (including surgery and burns), ischemia/reperfusion, some toxic lesions, and viral infections including COVID-19. Based on the reviewed observations, we suggest that such severe outcomes may be manifestations of a controlled suicidal strategy protecting the entire population from the spread of pathogens and from dangerous pathologies rather than an aberrant hyperstimulation of defense responses. We argue that innate immunity may be involved in the implementation of an altruistic programmed death of an organism aimed at increasing the well-being of the whole community. We discuss possible ways to suppress this atavistic program by interfering with innate immunity and suggest that combating this program should be a major goal of future medicine. |
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Keywords: | pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) mitochondrially-targeted antioxidants inflammation inflammasome programmed death phenoptosis COVID-19 |
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