BAX and Sepsis: Due to the relationship between the increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and apoptosis during the process of sepsis, the ratio of Bax (a proapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family) to Bcl-2 (an antiapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family) expression was analyzed as a marker for the rate of apoptosis (Fig 10).