In models of severe sepsis, autophagy is downregulated and insufficient to counteract the NLRP3-induced negative outcomes due to exhaustion of autophagic proteins (Fig. 2).118 In endotoxemia models with severe abdominal infection, inefficient fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes result in impaired autophagy (Fig. 2). The gene discussed is NLRP3; the disease is serum lipopolysaccharide activity.