摘要Objective:Sepsis remains a leading cause of death in many Intensive Care Units worldwide.Immunosuppression has been a primary focus of sepsis research as a key pathophysiological mechanism.Given the important role of the negative costimulatory molecules programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in the occurrence of immunosuppression during sepsis,we reviewed literatures related to the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway to examine its potential as a new target for sepsis treatment.Data Sources:Studies of the association between PD-1/PD-L 1 and sepsis published up to January 31,2017,were obtained by searching the PubMed database.Study Selection:English language studies,including those based on animal models,clinical research,and reviews,with data related to PD-1/PD-L1 and sepsis,were evaluated.Results:Immunomodulatory therapeutics could reverse the deactivation of immune cells caused by sepsis and restore immune cell activation and function.Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway could reduce the exhaustion ofT-cells and enhance the proliferation and activation of T-cells.Conclusions:The anti-PD-1/PD-L1 pathway shows promise as a new target for sepsis treatment.This review provides a basis for clinical trials and future studies aimed at revaluating the efficacy and safety of this targeted approach.