Innate-Like Lymphocytes Are Immediate Participants in the Hyper-Acute Immune Response to Trauma and Hemorrhagic Shock

Adverse outcomes following severe traumatic injury are frequently attributed to a state of immunological dysfunction acquired during treatment and recovery. Recent genomic evidence however, suggests that the trajectory toward development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is already in play at admission (<2 h following injury). Improved understanding of the molecular events during the hyper-acute immunological response to trauma, <2 h following injury, may reveal opportunities to ameliorate organ injury and expedite recovery. Lymphocytes have not previously been considered key participants in this early response; however, two observations in human trauma patients namely, raised populations of circulating NKT and NK cells during the hyper-acute phase and persistent lymphopenia beyond 48 h show association with the development of MODS during recovery. These highlight the need for greater understanding of lymphocyte function in the hyper-acute phase of inflammation. An exploratory study was therefore conducted in a well-established murine model of trauma and hemorrhagic shock (T&HS) to investigate (1) the development of lymphopenia in the murine model and (2) the phenotypic and functional changes of three innate-like lymphocyte subsets, NK1.1+ CD3–, NK1.1+ CD3+, γδTCR+ CD3+ cells, focusing on the first 6 h following injury. Rapid changes in phenotype and function were demonstrated in these cells within blood and spleen, but responses in lung tissue lagged behind. This study describes the immediacy of the innate-like lymphocyte response to trauma in different body compartments and considers new lines for further investigation to develop our understanding of MODS pathogenesis.