Sepsis is associated with massive discharges of catecholamine and consequent persistent stimulation of the badrenergic receptor [128] . Selective b1-adrenergic blockers might present a new therapeutic capability against sepsis [129] , although the exact mechanism remains to be elucidated. Mori et al. [130] observed that esmolol, a selective b1-blocker, improved outcome in a rat model of sepsis by preventing gut barrier dysfunction and thereby bacterial translocation.