# The Role of Lipids in Obesity-mediated Protection in Sepsis

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2024 · $114,750

## Abstract

TITLE: The role of lipids in obesity-mediated protection in sepsis
ABSTRACT
Sepsis is an important clinical problem for which no specific therapies are currently available. Clinical studies
indicate that obesity is paradoxically associated with improved survival in sepsis; however, as obesity is a risk
factor for a wide variety of pathologies, it cannot be recommended as an option to protect against sepsis. It is,
therefore, important to understand the underlying mechanisms that lead to obesity-mediated protection in sepsis
as a step towards the development of novel therapeutic approaches. In this study, we will utilize existing clinical
data and biospecimens derived from sepsis patients to explore a connection between metabolic adaptation and
obesity-mediated protection in sepsis. In Specific Aim 1, we will evaluate the association between obesity status
and plasma lipid levels during sepsis using existing clinical data and plasma samples from the ARDSNet-SAILS
clinical trial. In Specific Aim 2, we will determine whether plasma lipid levels influence sepsis outcomes by first
correlating plasma lipid levels with major sepsis outcomes such as mortality, length of hospital stay, organ
dysfunction, and related biological/physiological variables. Additionally, we will investigate whether the protective
effect of obesity in improving sepsis survival is abolished with the lipid-lowering drug rosuvastatin. The long-term
goal of this work is to identify parameters related to obesity-mediated protection in sepsis, which can be further
mechanistically investigated and lead to the development of potential therapeutic interventions for sepsis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10888380
- **Project number:** 5R21HL169804-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** Preetha Shridas
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $114,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-15 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10888380

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10888380, The Role of Lipids in Obesity-mediated Protection in Sepsis (5R21HL169804-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10888380. Licensed CC0.

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