Fig. 3: De-escalation strategy allays inflammatory response in the late sepsis stage.

A–F. The serum levels of MIP-2, MCP-1, TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6, and IFN-γ were measured using Luminex® xMAP (n = 17). The inflammatory cytokines levels were lower in the DE group than that in the ES group (p < 0.01), which was coincident with that in the early sepsis stage. And in the control group (n = 5), those biomarkers were extremely higher than those in antibiotic groups. DE de-escalation. ES escalation.