The stimulation of healthy individual monocytes with LPS, but not IL-6, TNF-α, or IFNγ, increased the surface expression of P2X7 receptors (Fig. 4e, f), suggesting that bacterial infections rather than the pro-inflammatory cytokines that are present during the initial phase of sepsis are responsible for the increase in P2X7 receptor expression observed during sepsis. This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and Sepsis.