Novel Insights for Systemic Inflammation in Sepsis and Hemorrhage

Figure 1

Nicotinic anti-inflammatory pathways. The inflammatory response to the infection, hemorrhage, or tissue trauma is mediated through the pathways of cytokine HMGB1, TNF, and interleukins which are released from immunized cells of lymph system including spleen tissue. Such immune pathway can be modulated by vagus nerve via its acetylcholine transmitter through either muscarinic or nicotinic receptor. A nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) agonist, such as nicotine, or transmitter released from vagus nerve stimulation, can inhibit the inflammation through restraining the production of proinflammatory cytokines from lymphocyte macrophage line. As cholinergic selective, nicotine is more efficient than acetylcholine in anti-inflammatory response through α7nAChR-dependent mechanism.