CCL2 and infection: In line with these findings, thrombocytopenia also exacerbates the inflammatory response in sepsis, raising plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, myeloperoxidase (MPO), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) (141, 144, 159), potentially as a consequence of more severe infection.