Cholinergic immunomodulation in inflammatory bowel diseases

Michele A Serafini; Ana H Paz; Natalia S Nunes

doi:10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100401

Cholinergic immunomodulation in inflammatory bowel diseases

Brain Behav Immun Health. 2021 Dec 11:19:100401. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100401. eCollection 2022 Feb.

Authors

Michele A Serafini^{1

2}, Ana H Paz^{3

2}, Natalia S Nunes⁴

Affiliations

¹ Biological Sciences, Physiology Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 90050170, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
² Cells, Tissue and Genes Laboratory, Experimental Research Center, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, 90035903, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
³ Morphological Sciences Department, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 90050170, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
⁴ Experimental Transplantation Immunotherapy Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 20852, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic intestinal disorders characterized by dysregulated immune responses to resident microbiota in genetically susceptible hosts. The activation of the cholinergic system has been proposed for the treatment of IBD patients according to its potential anti-inflammatory effect in vivo. The α-7-nicotinic-acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) is involved in the inhibition of inflammatory processes, modulating the production of cytokines, suppressing dendritic cells and macrophage activity, leading to the suppression of T cells. In this review, we address the most recent studies and clinical trials concerning cholinergic signaling and its therapeutic potential for inflammatory bowel diseases.

Keywords: Acetylcholine; Cholinergic signaling; Immunomodulation; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Intestinal immunity; Macrophage; T cell; Vagus nerve; α-7-Nicotinic-acetylcholine receptor.

Publication types

Review