美国宾夕法尼亚大学Christoph A. Thaiss等研究人员合作发现，肠道神经系统将心理压力传递给肠道炎症。2023年5月25日，《细胞》杂志在线发表了这项成果。
研究人员发现肠道神经系统（ENS）在介导慢性压力对肠道炎症的加重作用中起着关键作用。长期升高的糖皮质激素水平促使肠道胶质细胞产生一个炎症亚群，通过CSF1促进单核细胞和TNF介导的炎症。此外，糖皮质激素通过TGF-β2导致肠道神经元的转录不成熟、乙酰胆碱缺乏，以及运动障碍。研究人员在三个炎症性肠病（IBD）患者群中验证了心理状态、肠道炎症和运动障碍之间的联系。这些发现共同为大脑对外周炎症的影响提供了机理上的解释，将ENS定义为心理压力和肠道炎症之间的中转站，并表明压力管理可以作为IBD护理的一个有价值的组成部分。
据悉，心理健康对身体的炎症反应有深刻的影响。这在IBD中尤其明显，心理压力与疾病发作的加剧有关。
附：英文原文
Title: The enteric nervous system relays psychological stress to intestinal inflammation
Author: Kai Markus Schneider, Niklas Blank, Yelina Alvarez, Katharina Thum, Patrick Lundgren, Lev Litichevskiy, Madeleine Sleeman, Klaas Bahnsen, Jihee Kim, Simon Kardo, Shaan Patel, Lenka Dohnalová, Giulia T. Uhr, Hélène C. Descamps, Susanna Kircher, Alana M. McSween, Ashkan Rezazadeh Ardabili, Kelsey M. Nemec, Monica T. Jimenez, Lila G. Glotfelty, Joshua D. Eisenberg, Emma E. Furth, Jorge Henao-Mejia, F. Chris Bennett, Marie J. Pierik, Marille Romberg-Camps, Zlatan Mujagic, Marco Prinz, Carolin V. Schneider, E. John Wherry, Meenakshi Bewtra, Robert O. Heuckeroth, Maayan Levy, Christoph A. Thaiss
Issue&Volume: 2023-05-25
Abstract: Mental health profoundly impacts inflammatory responses in the body. This is particularly apparent in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in which psychological stress is associated with exacerbated disease flares. Here, we discover a critical role for the enteric nervous system (ENS) in mediating the aggravating effect of chronic stress on intestinal inflammation. We find that chronically elevated levels of glucocorticoids drive the generation of an inflammatory subset of enteric glia that promotes monocyte- and TNF-mediated inflammation via CSF1. Additionally, glucocorticoids cause transcriptional immaturity in enteric neurons, acetylcholine deficiency, and dysmotility via TGF-β2. We verify the connection between the psychological state, intestinal inflammation, and dysmotility in three cohorts of IBD patients. Together, these findings offer a mechanistic explanation for the impact of the brain on peripheral inflammation, define the ENS as a relay between psychological stress and gut inflammation, and suggest that stress management could serve as a valuable component of IBD care.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.001
Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)00475-0