The nervous system is known to communicate with the immune system and regulate inflammation in the body. Researchers now show how electrical activation of a specific nerve can promote healing in acute inflammation. The finding, which is published in the journal PNAS, opens new ways to accelerate resolution of inflammation.
The way the body regulates inflammation is only partly understood. Previous research show that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can reduce inflammation. Such nerve stimulation has been used with encouraging results in clinical studies of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. However, how nerve signals regulate active resolution of inflammation was unclear.
“We have now studied effects of signals between nerves and immune cells at the molecular level,” says an author. “A better understanding of these mechanisms will allow for more precise applications that harness the nervous system to regulate inflammation.”
The researchers showed that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in inflammation shifts the balance between inflammatory and specialised anti-inflammatory molecules, which promotes healing. Also, mice with vagus nerve stimulation had higher levels of specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs), particularly from the omega-3 docosahexaenoic (DHA) and docosapentaenoic (n-3 DPA) metabolomes.
The authors also show that 12/15-lipoxgenase (Alox15), a key enzyme in this SPM biosynthesis and cholinergic α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit (α7nAChR), are essential component of the inflammatory reflex.
“Inflammation and its resolution plays a key role in a wide range of common diseases, including autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular diseases,” says the senior author. “Our findings provide insights on how the nervous system can accelerate resolution of inflammation by activating defined signalling pathways.”
The researchers will continue to study how nerves regulate the healing of inflammation in more detail.
“The vagus nerve is only one of many nerves that regulate the immune system. We will continue to map the networks of nerves that regulate inflammation at the molecular level and study how these signals are involved in disease development,” says the senior author. “We hope that this research will provide a better understanding of how pathological inflammation can resolve, and contribute to more effective treatments of the many inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis and rheumatism.”
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2023285119
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fvagus-nerve-stimulation_2&filter=22
Nerve stimulation promotes resolution of inflammation
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