title: The role of the vagus nerve: modulation of the inflammatory reaction in murine polymicrobial sepsis.
abstract: The particular importance of the vagus nerve for the pathophysiology of peritonitis becomes more and more apparent. In this work we provide evidence for the vagal modulation of inflammation in the murine model of colon ascendens stent peritonitis (CASP). Vagotomy significantly increases mortality in polymicrobial sepsis. This effect is not accounted for by the dilatation of gastric volume following vagotomy. As the stimulation of cholinergic receptors by nicotine has no therapeutic effect, the lack of nicotine is also not the reason for the reduced survival rate. In fact, increased septic mortality is a consequence of the absent modulating influence of the vagus nerve on the immune system: we detected significantly elevated serum corticosterone levels in vagotomised mice 24 h following CASP and a decreased ex vivo TNF-alpha secretion of Kupffer cells upon stimulation with LPS. In conclusion, the vagus nerve has a modulating influence in polymicrobial sepsis by attenuating the immune dysregulation.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Allgemeine Chirurgie, Viszeral, Thorax und Gefäßchirurgie der Ernst Moritz Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich Loeffler Straße 23b, 17475 Greifswald, Germany. wkessler@uni-greifswald.de
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diedrich
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menges
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ebker
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nielson
authors.forename: Lars Ivo
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Partecke
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Traeger
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cziupka
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Linde
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Puls
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Busemann
authors.forename: Claus-Dieter
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Heidecke
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007249:Inflammation; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000166:cytology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009538:Nicotine / Q000378:metabolism; D009995:Osmosis; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000378:metabolism; D018805:Sepsis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D009538:Nicotine; D003345:Corticosterone