OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of electrical stimulation of efferent vagus nerve on the inflammatory response in heart tissue in rats with endotoxemia. METHODS: Two hundred and ten Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven groups. Animals were subjected to bilateral cervical vagotomy, or a comparable sham surgical procedure in which the vagus nerves were isolated but not transected. The distal end of a vagus nerve trunk was placed across bipolar electrodes connected to a stimulation module and controlled by an acquisition system. Stimuli with constant voltage (5 V, 2 ms, 1 Hz) were applied to the nerve for 20 minutes immediately after administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg, E coli O111: B4, Sigma), and then were repeated 2 times after each of 10 minutes interval. Blood and tissue samples of these rats were collected at 1, 1.5 and 2 hours after LPS administration in all groups. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in heart tissue and serum MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase(CK-MB) were determined. RESULTS: The electrical stimulation of the efferent vagus nerve significantly decreased the contents of TNF-alpha and MPO in heart tissue and CK-MB in serum, and alleviated myocardial inflammation in heart tissue at all time points, especially at 1.5 hours after endotoxin challenge. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that excitation of the efferent vagus nerve can significantly alleviate the inflammatory response in the heart tissue, thus it might produce a potential protective effect on the heart during endotoxemia in rats.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of electrical stimulation of efferent vagus nerve on the inflammatory response in heart tissue in rats with endotoxemia. METHODS: Two hundred and ten Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven groups. Animals were subjected to bilateral cervical vagotomy, or a comparable sham surgical procedure in which the vagus nerves were isolated but not transected. The distal end of a vagus nerve trunk was placed across bipolar electrodes connected to a stimulation module and controlled by an acquisition system. Stimuli with constant voltage (5 V, 2 ms, 1 Hz) were applied to the nerve for 20 minutes immediately after administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg, E coli O111: B4, Sigma), and then were repeated 2 times after each of 10 minutes interval. Blood and tissue samples of these rats were collected at 1, 1.5 and 2 hours after LPS administration in all groups. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in heart tissue and serum MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase(CK-MB) were determined. RESULTS: The electrical stimulation of the efferent vagus nerve significantly decreased the contents of TNF-alpha and MPO in heart tissue and CK-MB in serum, and alleviated myocardial inflammation in heart tissue at all time points, especially at 1.5 hours after endotoxin challenge. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that excitation of the efferent vagus nerve can significantly alleviate the inflammatory response in the heart tissue, thus it might produce a potential protective effect on the heart during endotoxemia in rats.
Authors: Harwood Kwan; Luca Garzoni; Hai Lun Liu; Mingju Cao; Andre Desrochers; Gilles Fecteau; Patrick Burns; Martin G Frasch Journal: Bioelectron Med Date: 2016-09-14