TLR9 and Sepsis: Indeed, mtDNA acts as a Danger-Associated Molecular Pattern (DAMP) in animal models of sepsis [34] and triggers both intracellular inflammasome activation (through NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3, NLRP3 [35]) and remote organ injury (through Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) binding [36]).