Department of Internal Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Feb 23;23(5):2449. doi: 10.3390/ijms23052449.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the immune system are deeply interrelated. The ANS regulates both innate and adaptive immunity through the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, and an imbalance in this system can determine an altered inflammatory response as typically observed in chronic conditions such as systemic autoimmune diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis all show a dysfunction of the ANS that is mutually related to the increase in inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Moreover, an interaction between ANS and the gut microbiota has direct effects on inflammation homeostasis. Recently vagal stimulation techniques have emerged as an unprecedented possibility to reduce ANS dysfunction, especially in chronic diseases characterized by pain and a decreased quality of life as well as in chronic inflammation.
自主神经系统（ANS）和免疫系统密切相关。ANS 通过交感神经和副交感神经分支调节先天免疫和适应性免疫，而该系统的失衡可导致炎症反应改变，这种情况在系统性自身免疫性疾病等慢性疾病中较为常见。类风湿关节炎、系统性红斑狼疮和系统性硬化症均表现出与炎症和心血管风险增加相关的自主神经系统功能障碍。此外，自主神经系统与肠道微生物群之间的相互作用对炎症稳态有直接影响。最近，迷走神经刺激技术的出现为减少自主神经系统功能障碍提供了前所未有的可能性，特别是在以疼痛和生活质量下降以及慢性炎症为特征的慢性疾病中。
