title: Functional role of acetylcholine in the immune system.
abstract: Increasing evidence indicates that the central nervous system (CNS) can operate certain immune functions. There is a bidirectional regulation system between the brain and peripheral immune system during infection and inflammation. Furthermore, autopsy brain preparations in Alzheimer's disease patients show the up-regulated expression of proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting an important role of cytokines in disease progression. Recently, acetylcholine has been suggested to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- induced inflammation in macrophages. In this paper, we review the important aspects of several cytokines under the pathologic conditions of CNS. Furthermore, we discuss recent views on the nonneuronal action of acetylcholine in the cross talk between acetylcholine and the immune system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosoi
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nomura
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D016923:Cell Death; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D007249:Inflammation; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D000109:Acetylcholine