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Review
. 2022 Feb 23;23(5):2449.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23052449.

The Interplay between Autonomic Nervous System and Inflammation across Systemic Autoimmune Diseases

Chiara Bellocchi  1   2 , Angelica Carandina  1   2 , Beatrice Montinaro  1 , Elena Targetti  1 , Ludovico Furlan  1   2 , Gabriel Dias Rodrigues  2   3 , Eleonora Tobaldini  1   2 , Nicola Montano  1   2
Affiliations
Review

The Interplay between Autonomic Nervous System and Inflammation across Systemic Autoimmune Diseases

Chiara Bellocchi et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the immune system are deeply interrelated. The ANS regulates both innate and adaptive immunity through the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, and an imbalance in this system can determine an altered inflammatory response as typically observed in chronic conditions such as systemic autoimmune diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis all show a dysfunction of the ANS that is mutually related to the increase in inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Moreover, an interaction between ANS and the gut microbiota has direct effects on inflammation homeostasis. Recently vagal stimulation techniques have emerged as an unprecedented possibility to reduce ANS dysfunction, especially in chronic diseases characterized by pain and a decreased quality of life as well as in chronic inflammation.

Keywords: adaptive immunity; autonomic nervous system; gut microbiota; inflammation; inflammatory reflex; innate immunity; parasympathetic system; sympathetic system; systemic autoimmune diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sympathetic and parasympathetic synergic function on the innate and adaptive immunity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Putative autonomic- and inflammatory-mediated mechanisms and clinical outcomes in autoimmune diseases and promising countermeasures. SNS: sympathetic nervous system; PNS: parasympathetic nervous system; SSc: Systemic sclerosis; RA: Rheumatoid arthritis; SLE: Systemic lupus erythematous; tVNS: transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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