Neuroimmune system-mediated renal protection mechanisms

• Published in: Clinical and experimental nephrology Vol. 25; no. 9; pp. 915 - 924
• Main Author: Inoue, Tsuyoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 01.09.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acetylcholine - metabolism; Acute Kidney Injury - physiopathology; Animals; Autonomic nervous system; Cytokines; Experiments; Genetics; Homeostasis; Humans; Immune system; Inflammation; Information processing; Invited Review; Invited Review Article; Ischemia; Kidney - innervation; Kidney diseases; Lymphocytes; Macrophages; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Medulla oblongata; Nephrology; Nervous system; Neural networks; Neuroimmunomodulation; Neurons - physiology; Nicotine; Optics; Parasympathetic nervous system; Reperfusion; Sepsis; Spleen; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Ultrasonic Waves; Urology; Vagus nerve; Vagus Nerve Stimulation; Vagus nerve stimulation; Nervous system; Optogenetics; Acute kidney injury; Acetylcholine receptor; Cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway
• ISSN: 1342-1751; 1437-7799
• DOI: 10.1007/s10157-021-02062-3

The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis in organisms. Recent studies have shown that it also controls inflammation by directly altering the function of the immune system. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) is one of the neural circuits operating through the vagus nerve. Acetylcholine released from the terminal of the vagus nerve, which is a parasympathetic nerve, acts on the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor of macrophages and reduces inflammation in the body. Previous animal studies demonstrated that vagus nerve stimulation reduced renal ischemia–reperfusion injury. Furthermore, restraint stress and pulsed ultrasound had similar protective effects against kidney injury, which were mainly thought to be mediated by the CAP. Using optogenetics, which can stimulate specific nerves, it was also revealed that activation of the CAP by restraint stress was mediated by C1 neurons in the medulla oblongata. Nevertheless, there still remain many unclear points regarding the role of the nervous and immune systems in controlling renal diseases, and further research is needed.