While it is well known that bacterial infection is the predominant cause of sepsis, the molecular pathophysiology of this clinical syndrome remains ill-defined. In this Research Highlights article, we discuss the recent research findings regarding a protective role for glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPx4) in bacterial infection and polymicrobial sepsis via modulating ferroptosis and pyroptosis, two novel modes of regulated cell death. It is suggested that GPx4, being a requisite gateway to both ferroptosis and pyroptosis, may serve as a critical molecular target for developing effective drugs for controlling infection and sepsis.
Keywords: Bacterial infection; Ferroptosis; GPx4; Lipid peroxidation; Pyroptosis; Sepsis.