Neuroendocrine-Immune Interaction in Lung Diseases

Abstract

Aim of review: This overview describes neuroendocrine immune regulation of inflammation in the lung.Method: The articles published in past 2 decades in this area were reviewed.Recent findings: Pulmonary diseases are often associated with inflammation, which is an essential body response to infection and injury. During inflammation, various cells are activated to release inflammatory molecules, modulating disease progression. Inflammation is regulated by the immune system, which interacts with the neuroendocrine system via the autonomic nerves and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. During lung diseases airway sensors are activated to produce host defense responses against inflammation, infection and trauma. Summary: These neural-mediated responses are immediate and non-specific. They may amplify inflammation via local or axonal reflexes to enhance immune protection or suppress inflammation via the central nervous system to avoid tissue destruction. Citation: Jing Lin, Lei Du, Jerry Yu. Neuroendocrine-immune interaction in lung diseases. J Anesth Perioper Med 2014; 1: 44-49. doi: 10.24015/JAPM.2014.0007This is an open-access article, published by Evidence Based Communications (EBC). This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format for any lawful purpose. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.