Neuroimmune Interactions in the Gut and Their Significance for Intestinal Immunity.

Author: Brinkman DJ1,2, Ten Hove AS1, Vervoordeldonk MJ1,3, Luyer MD2, de Jonge WJ4,5
Affiliation:
1Tytgat Institute for Intestinal and Liver Research, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 BK, The Netherlands.
2Department of Surgery, Catharina Hospital, 5623 EJ Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
3Galvani Bioelectronics, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK.
4Tytgat Institute for Intestinal and Liver Research, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 BK, The Netherlands. w.j.dejonge@amsterdamumc.nl.
5Department of General, Visceral-, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany. w.j.dejonge@amsterdamumc.nl.
Conference/Journal: Cells.
Date published: 2019 Jul 2
Other: Volume ID: 8 , Issue ID: 7 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3390/cells8070670. , Word Count: 151


Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have a complex, multifactorial pathophysiology with an unmet need for effective treatment. This calls for novel strategies to improve disease outcome and quality of life for patients. Increasing evidence suggests that autonomic nerves and neurotransmitters, as well as neuropeptides, modulate the intestinal immune system, and thereby regulate the intestinal inflammatory processes. Although the autonomic nervous system is classically divided in a sympathetic and parasympathetic branch, both play a pivotal role in the crosstalk with the immune system, with the enteric nervous system acting as a potential interface. Pilot clinical trials that employ vagus nerve stimulation to reduce inflammation are met with promising results. In this paper, we review current knowledge on the innervation of the gut, the potential of cholinergic and adrenergic systems to modulate intestinal immunity, and comment on ongoing developments in clinical trials.

KEYWORDS: acetylcholine; inflammatory bowel disease; innervation; nerve stimulation; norepinephrine

PMID: 31269754 DOI: 10.3390/cells8070670

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