Martínez-Meza S, Singh B, Nixon DF, Dopkins N, Gangcuangco LMA. The brain-liver cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and viral infections.
Bioelectron Med 2023;
9:29. [PMID:
38115148 PMCID:
PMC10731847 DOI:
10.1186/s42234-023-00132-3]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Efferent cholinergic signaling is a critical and targetable source of immunoregulation. The vagus nerve (VN) is the primary source of cholinergic signaling in the body, and partially innervates hepatic functionality through the liver-brain axis. Virus-induced disruption of cholinergic signaling may promote pathogenesis in hepatotropic and neurotropic viruses. Therefore, restoring VN functionality could be a novel therapeutic strategy to alleviate pathogenic inflammation in hepatotropic and neurotropic viral infections alike. In this minireview, we discuss the physiological importance of cholinergic signaling in maintaining liver-brain axis homeostasis. Next, we explore mechanisms by which the VN is perturbed by viral infections, and how non-invasive restoration of cholinergic signaling pathways with bioelectronic medicine (BEM) might ameliorate hepatic inflammation and neuroinflammation in certain viral infections.
Collapse