Tracey Kevin J
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, 350 Community Drive, Manhasset, New York 11030, USA.
Nat Rev Immunol. 2009 Jun;9(6):418-28. doi: 10.1038/nri2566.
Inflammation can cause damage and even death. What controls this primitive and potentially lethal innate immune response to injury and infection? Molecular and neurophysiological studies during the past decade have revealed a pivotal answer: immunity is coordinated by neural circuits that operate reflexively. The afferent arc of the reflex consists of nerves that sense injury and infection. This activates efferent neural circuits, including the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, that modulate immune responses and the progression of inflammatory diseases. It might be possible to develop therapeutics that target neural networks for the treatment of inflammatory disorders.
炎症可导致损伤甚至死亡。是什么控制着这种对损伤和感染的原始且可能致命的先天免疫反应呢?过去十年的分子和神经生理学研究揭示了一个关键答案:免疫是由反射性运作的神经回路协调的。反射的传入弧由感知损伤和感染的神经组成。这会激活传出神经回路,包括胆碱能抗炎途径,从而调节免疫反应和炎症性疾病的进展。有可能开发出针对神经网络的疗法来治疗炎症性疾病。