Ren Chao, Tong Ya-Lin, Li Jun-Cong, Lu Zhong-Qiu, Yao Yong-Ming
Trauma Research Center, First Hospital Affiliated to the Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, People's Republic of China.
Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the 181st Hospital of Chinese PLA, Guilin 541002, People's Republic of China.
Int J Biol Sci. 2017 Jan 1;13(1):46-56. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.16404. eCollection 2017.
Critical illnesses and injuries are recognized as major threats to human health, and they are usually accompanied by uncontrolled inflammation and dysfunction of immune response. The alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAchR), which is a primary receptor of cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP), exhibits great benefits for critical ill conditions. It is composed of 5 identical α7 subunits that form a central pore with high permeability for calcium. This putative structure is closely associated with its functional states. Activated α7nAChR exhibits extensive anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory reactions, including lowered pro-inflammatory cytokines levels, decreased expressions of chemokines as well as adhesion molecules, and altered differentiation and activation of immune cells, which are important in maintaining immune homeostasis. Well understanding of the effects and mechanisms of α7nAChR will be of great value in exploring effective targets for treating critical diseases.
危重病和损伤被认为是对人类健康的主要威胁，并且它们通常伴随着不受控制的炎症和免疫反应功能障碍。α7烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体（α7nAchR）是胆碱能抗炎通路（CAP）的主要受体，对危重病况具有很大益处。它由5个相同的α7亚基组成，形成一个对钙具有高通透性的中央孔道。这种假定的结构与其功能状态密切相关。活化的α7nAChR表现出广泛的抗炎和免疫调节反应，包括降低促炎细胞因子水平、减少趋化因子以及黏附分子的表达，以及改变免疫细胞的分化和活化，这些在维持免疫稳态中很重要。深入了解α7nAChR的作用和机制对于探索治疗危重病的有效靶点具有重要价值。
