Department of Bioengineering, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Boulder, USA.
Biomechatronics Development Laboratory, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Boulder, USA.
Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 11;11(1):3670. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-83361-3.
Previous studies have demonstrated stimulation of endocrine pancreas function by vagal nerve electrical stimulation. While this increases insulin secretion, expected concomitant reductions in circulating glucose do not occur. A complicating factor is the non-specific nature of electrical nerve stimulation. Optogenetic tools, however, provide the potential for cell-type specific neural stimulation using genetic targeting and/or spatially shaped excitation light. Here, we demonstrate light-activated stimulation of the endocrine pancreas by targeting parasympathetic (cholinergic) axons. In a mouse model expressing ChannelRhodopsin2 (ChR2) in cholinergic cells, serum insulin and glucose were measured in response to (1) ultrasound image-guided optical stimulation of axon terminals in the pancreas or (2) optical stimulation of axons of the cervical vagus nerve. Measurements were made in basal-glucose and glucose-stimulated conditions. Significant increases in plasma insulin occurred relative to controls under both pancreas and cervical vagal stimulation, while a rapid reduction in glycemic levels were observed under pancreatic stimulation. Additionally, ultrasound-based measurements of blood flow in the pancreas were increased under pancreatic stimulation. Together, these results demonstrate the utility of in-vivo optogenetics for studying the neural regulation of endocrine pancreas function and suggest its therapeutic potential for the control of insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis.
先前的研究已经证明,迷走神经电刺激可以刺激内分泌胰腺功能。虽然这会增加胰岛素的分泌,但预期的循环葡萄糖相应降低并没有发生。一个复杂的因素是电神经刺激的非特异性。然而,光遗传学工具为使用遗传靶向和/或空间成形的激发光进行细胞类型特异性神经刺激提供了潜力。在这里,我们通过靶向副交感(胆碱能)轴突来证明内分泌胰腺的光激活刺激。在表达 ChannelRhodopsin2 (ChR2) 在胆碱能细胞中的小鼠模型中,血清胰岛素和葡萄糖在以下情况下进行了测量:(1) 胰腺中轴突末梢的超声引导光刺激,或 (2) 颈迷走神经轴突的光刺激。在基础葡萄糖和葡萄糖刺激条件下进行了测量。与对照组相比,在胰腺和颈迷走神经刺激下,血浆胰岛素均显著升高,而在胰腺刺激下,血糖水平迅速降低。此外,在胰腺刺激下,胰腺中的血流的基于超声的测量增加。总之,这些结果证明了体内光遗传学在研究内分泌胰腺功能的神经调节中的实用性,并表明其在控制胰岛素分泌和葡萄糖稳态方面的治疗潜力。
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