Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Involvement in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Interactions with Gut Microbiota

Lola Rueda Ruzafa, José Luis Cedillo and Arik J. Hone
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Lola Rueda Ruzafa: Laboratory of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center (CINBIO), University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
José Luis Cedillo: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28034 Madrid, Spain
Arik J. Hone: MIRECC, George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: The gut-brain axis describes a complex interplay between the central nervous system and organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Sensory neurons of dorsal root and nodose ganglia, neurons of the autonomic nervous system, and immune cells collect and relay information about the status of the gut to the brain. A critical component in this bi-directional communication system is the vagus nerve which is essential for coordinating the immune system’s response to the activities of commensal bacteria in the gut and to pathogenic strains and their toxins. Local control of gut function is provided by networks of neurons in the enteric nervous system also called the ‘gut-brain’. One element common to all of these gut-brain systems is the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These ligand-gated ion channels serve myriad roles in the gut-brain axis including mediating fast synaptic transmission between autonomic pre- and postganglionic neurons, modulation of neurotransmitter release from peripheral sensory and enteric neurons, and modulation of cytokine release from immune cells. Here we review the role of nicotinic receptors in the gut-brain axis with a focus on the interplay of these receptors with the gut microbiome and their involvement in dysregulation of gut function and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Keywords: nicotinic acetylcholine receptors; α7 and α9 nicotinic receptor subtypes; cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway; gut-brain axis; gut microbiome; dysbiosis; inflammatory bowel disease; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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