Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, P.R. China.
Department of Operating Room, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, P.R. China.
Mol Med Rep. 2021 May;23(5). doi: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12004. Epub 2021 Mar 24.
The present study investigated the role of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in the acute lung injury (ALI) inflammatory response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats. A rat model of ALI was established using LPS and by connecting an electrode to the left vagus nerve proximal to the heart in order to provide continuous electrical stimulation (1 mA; 1 msec; 10 Hz). After 120 min, the rat lung tissue was stained with hematoxylin and eosin and the expression of inflammatory factors was evaluated by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blot analysis. The change in apoptosis rate in cells from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed using flow cytometry. The results of the present study demonstrated that inflammatory cell infiltration, alveolar wall and interstitial thickening, and lung hyperemia in rats with LPS‑induced ALI were decreased following electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve. Electrical stimulation inhibited the expression levels of IL‑1, IL‑6, IL‑10, IL-8 and TNF‑α at both the mRNA and protein levels and decreased early and late apoptosis rates in inflammatory cells from BALF. The results indicated that vagus nerve stimulation can reverse the inflammatory response in lung injury, thereby exerting a pulmonary protective effect.
本研究探讨了电刺激迷走神经在脂多糖（LPS）诱导的大鼠急性肺损伤（ALI）炎症反应中的作用。通过 LPS 建立大鼠 ALI 模型，并在心脏近端的左侧迷走神经上连接电极以提供持续电刺激（1 mA；1 msec；10 Hz）。120 分钟后，用苏木精和伊红对大鼠肺组织进行染色，并通过逆转录-定量 PCR 和 Western blot 分析评估炎症因子的表达。通过流式细胞术分析支气管肺泡灌洗液（BALF）中细胞凋亡率的变化。本研究结果表明，电刺激迷走神经可减轻 LPS 诱导的 ALI 大鼠的炎性细胞浸润、肺泡壁和间质增厚以及肺充血。电刺激抑制了 IL-1、IL-6、IL-10、IL-8 和 TNF-α 在 mRNA 和蛋白水平的表达，并降低了 BALF 中炎性细胞的早晚期凋亡率。结果表明，迷走神经刺激可逆转肺损伤中的炎症反应，从而发挥肺保护作用。
