Zheng L, Duan SL. Neuroimmune interactions in inflammatory bowel disease: Role of intestinal macrophages and the cholinergic pathway. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(44): 109440 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i44.109440]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Sheng-Lei Duan, Department of Gastroenterology, Shaanxi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 4 Xihuamen Street, Lianhu District, Xi’an 710003, Shaanxi Province, China. 281930369@qq.com
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Infectious Diseases
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Review
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Nov 28, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 1, 2025
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World Journal of Gastroenterology
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1007-9327
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Zheng L, Duan SL. Neuroimmune interactions in inflammatory bowel disease: Role of intestinal macrophages and the cholinergic pathway. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(44): 109440 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i44.109440]
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2025; 31(44): 109440 Published online Nov 28, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i44.109440
Neuroimmune interactions in inflammatory bowel disease: Role of intestinal macrophages and the cholinergic pathway
Lie Zheng, Sheng-Lei Duan
Lie Zheng, Sheng-Lei Duan, Department of Gastroenterology, Shaanxi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi’an 710003, Shaanxi Province, China
Author contributions: Zheng L and Duan SL contributed to the study conception and design and wrote the manuscript; Zheng L and Duan SL contributed to the literature search, drafted the manuscript, and provided approval of the final version to be published.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82574996; Xi’an Science and Technology Plan Project, No. 23YXYJ0162; Shaanxi Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Research and Innovation Talent Plan Project, No. TZKN-CXRC-16; Project of Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. SZY-KJCYC-2025-JC-010; Shaanxi Province Key Research and Development Plan Project-Social Development Field, No. 2025SF-YBXM-498; The "Nursery Cultivation Plan" Project of Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Chinese Medicine and Shaanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for the Year 2025, No. 2025-04; and the Fifth Batch of Outstanding Clinical Talents in Traditional Chinese Medicine Project of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Letter[2025], No. 6.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Sheng-Lei Duan, Department of Gastroenterology, Shaanxi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 4 Xihuamen Street, Lianhu District, Xi’an 710003, Shaanxi Province, China. 281930369@qq.com
Received: May 20, 2025 Revised: August 7, 2025 Accepted: October 20, 2025 Published online: November 28, 2025 Processing time: 201 Days and 15.6 Hours
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms by which the autonomic nervous system regulates immune cell function have become a popular research topic. The discovery that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) alleviates endotoxemia has laid an important foundation for further study of the neuroimmune system. This review focuses on the latest insights related to intestinal neurons and macrophages (Mφs) and outlines the mechanisms underlying cholinergic control of inflammation and key electrophysiological VNS approaches for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Mφs are the most important antigen-presenting cells in the human body and exist in various forms. In the gut, Mφs can maintain the intestinal balance by engulfing and digesting microorganisms. However, macrophage overactivation results in the production of excessive inflammatory mediators, which can damage the intestinal mucosa and induce an inflammatory response, leading to IBD. The role of cholinergic anti-inflammatory mechanisms in immune-mediated IBD have attracted substantial attention. Mφs are a special type of phagocytes that play a crucial role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and movement. In the intestinal tract, Mφ is classified into different subgroups based on its position in the parietal layer and is closely related to the microenvironment.
Core Tip: Macrophages (Mφs) are a special type of phagocytes that play a crucial role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and movement. In the intestinal tract, Mφ is classified into different subgroups based on its position in the parietal layer and is closely related to the microenvironment. The current research focus is on developing non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) technology to provide a safer and more tolerable treatment option for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although preliminary data suggest that percutaneous VNS treatment for IBD may be effective, further research is needed to better prove the evidence of VNS treatment for chronic inflammatory diseases.
