Therapeutic potential of the vagus nerve in cancer

0500463 - MBÚ 2019 RIV NL eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Reijmen, E. - Vannucci, Luca - De Couck, M. - De Grève, J. - Gidron, Y.
Therapeutic potential of the vagus nerve in cancer.
Immunology Letters. Roč. 202, OCT 2018 (2018), s. 38-43. ISSN 0165-2478. E-ISSN 1879-0542
Institucionální podpora: RVO:61388971
Klíčová slova: Vagus/vagal nerve * Cancer immunity * Acetylcholine
Obor OECD: Microbiology
Impakt faktor: 2.552, rok: 2018

Accumulating evidence points to a beneficial effect of vagus nerve activity in tumor development. The vagus nerve is proposed to slow tumorigenesis because of its anti-inflammatory properties mediated through ACh and the alpha 7nAChR. Since alpha 7nAChRs are widely expressed by many types of immune cells we hypothesized that the vagus nerve affects the tumor microenvironment and anticancer immunity. We found direct evidence in studies using animal cancer models that vagus nerve stimulation alters immunological responses relevant to the tumor microenvironment. Also studies in pathologies other than cancer suggest a role for the vagus nerve in altering immunological responses relevant to anticancer immunity. These results provide a rationale to expect that vagus nerve stimulation, in combination with conventional cancer treatments, may improve the prognosis of cancer patients by promoting anticancer immunity.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0292529