RESUMO
Cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in which acetylcholine released as the neurotransmitter, plays an important role in nerve-immune regulation. In this pathway, with the vagus nerve in the central nervous system as a starting point, the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) on the surface of immune cell membrane is the key functional part. The interaction between electrical and chemical signals regulates the inflammation in the body via modulation of the JAK-STAT3, PI3K-Akt and other signaling pathways and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB, leading to inhibition of the release of pro-inflammatory factors and promotion of the release of anti-inflammatory factors. However, the detailed mechanism is far from clear. Studies have shown that the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway can be activated by drug targeting α7 nAChR and electrical stimulation of vagus nerve. Activation of α7 nAChR has the advantages of simple operation, less damage and significant effect. The commonly used drugs are selective agonists such as PNU282987 and GTS-21, and non-selective agonists such as nicotine. And this method has been found to play a role in the treatment of peripheral organ inflammatory diseases such as sepsis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, gastroenteritis, osteoarthritis and autoimmune diseases. As a key factor in the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways, α7 nAChR has become a potential therapeutic target for many inflammatory diseases. This paper reviewed the anti-inflammatory mechanism and activation mode of α7 nAChR involved in cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, as well as its application in inflammatory diseases in recent years, which may provide a reference for future research on its detailed mechanism of action and potential application as a new therapeutic target.