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. 2018 Nov;43(11):2155-2164.
doi: 10.1007/s11064-018-2639-z. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Exerts Antiinflammatory Effects and Immune Regulatory Function in a 6-OHDA Model of Parkinson's Disease

Ying Jiang  1   2   3 , Zhentang Cao  1   2   3 , Huizi Ma  1   2   3 , Guihong Wang  1   2   3 , Xuemei Wang  1   2   3 , Zhan Wang  1   2   3 , Yaqin Yang  1   2   3 , Huiqing Zhao  1   2   3 , Genliang Liu  1   2   3 , Longling Li  4 , Tao Feng  5   6   7
Affiliations

Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Exerts Antiinflammatory Effects and Immune Regulatory Function in a 6-OHDA Model of Parkinson's Disease

Ying Jiang et al. Neurochem Res. 2018 Nov.

Abstract

According to epidemiologic studies, smoking appears to downregulate the prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD), possibly due to antiinflammatory mechanisms via activation of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7 nAChRs). This receptor also appears to play a role in T-cell differentiation. Recently, it has become apparent that the innate immune system participates in PD pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of auricular vagus nerve stimulation (aVNS) on substantia nigra (SN) dopaminergic neurodegeneration and the associated neuroinflammation and immune responses in a rat PD model. Adult male Wistar rats were unilaterally administered 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) to the medial forebrain bundle, followed by aVNS treatment after surgery. Following motor behavioral tests, the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the SN and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the ventral midbrain were evaluated. In addition, changes in the trends of subsets of CD4+ T lymphocytes in the SN were measured by immunofluorescence staining. Western blotting was used to evaluate the α7 nAChR protein level. Compared with 6-OHDA treats rats, aVNS treatment significantly improved motor deficits, increased TH and α7 nAChR expression, and reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β)) (p < 0.05). Additionally, aVNS increased the numbers of regulatory T (Treg) cells while decreasing T helper (Th)17 cells. aVNS exerted neuroprotective effects against dopaminergic damage, possibly by suppressing the evolution of inflammation and modulating innate immune responses. Thus, aVNS may be a potential promising therapy in the future.

Keywords: Auricular vagus nerve stimulation; Parkinson’s disease; Th17 cells; Treg cells; α7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

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