Overview of therapeutic applications of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation: a motivation for novel treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus

Bioelectronic Medicine

Amparo Güemes¹  Charrise M. Ramkissoon²  Josep Vehi³ 

[1] Bio-Inspired Technology, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, UK;Institut d’Informàtica i Aplicacions, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain;Institut d’Informàtica i Aplicacions, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain;Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Madrid, Spain;

关键词: Systemic lupus erythematosus;    Vagus nerve stimulation;    Autonomic nervous system;    Non-invasive;    Bioelectronic medicine;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s42234-021-00069-5

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder that commonly affects the skin, joints, kidneys, and central nervous system. Although great progress has been made over the years, patients still experience unfavorable secondary effects from medications, increased economic burden, and higher mortality rates compared to the general population. To alleviate these current problems, non-invasive, non-pharmacological interventions are being increasingly investigated. One such intervention is non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, which promotes the upregulation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway that reduces the activation and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species, culpable processes in autoimmune diseases such as SLE. This review first provides a background on the important contribution of the autonomic nervous system to the pathogenesis of SLE. The gross and structural anatomy of the vagus nerve and its contribution to the inflammatory response are described afterwards to provide a general understanding of the impact of stimulating the vagus nerve. Finally, an overview of current clinical applications of invasive and non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for a variety of diseases, including those with similar symptoms to the ones in SLE, is presented and discussed. Overall, the review presents neuromodulation as a promising strategy to alleviate SLE symptoms and potentially reverse the disease.

【 授权许可】

CC BY