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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 14, 2025; 31(38): 111252
Published online Oct 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i38.111252
Published online Oct 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i38.111252
Role of physical exercise, vagal nerve stimulation, and vagotomy in inflammatory bowel disease
Alda Cassia Alves da Silva, Graduate Program in Pharmacology, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina 64049-550, Piauí, Brazil
Juliana Soares Severo, Heron Silva Soares, Francisco Leonardo Torres-Leal, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group, Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre, Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina 64049-550, Piauí, Brazil
Brenda Lois Barros dos Santos, Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina 64049-550, Piauí, Brazil
Jorddam Almondes Martins, Graduate Program Multicenter in Physiological Sciences, Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina 64049-550, Brazil
Rodrigo Soares Pereira Lima, Graduate Program in Food and Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina 64049-550, Piauí, Brazil
Kalinne Kelly Lima Gadelha, Pedro Jorge Caldas Magalhães, Armênio Aguiar Santos, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60020-181, Ceará, Brazil
Paulo Correia-de-Sá, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Center for Drug Discovery and Innovative Medicines/RISE-Health: Health Research Network, Department of Immuno-Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of Porto, Porto 4050-313, Portugal
Moisés Tolentino Bento da Silva, Laboratory of Physiology, Center for Drug Discovery and Innovative Medicines/RISE-Health: Health Research Network, Department of Immuno-Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of Porto, Porto 4050-313, Portugal
Co-first authors: Alda Cassia Alves da Silva and Juliana Soares Severo.
Author contributions: da Silva ACA, Severo JS, dos Santos BLB, Soares HS, Martins JA, Lima RSP, Gadelha KKL, Torres-Leal FL, Correia-de-Sá P, Magalhães PJC, Santos AA, and da Silva MTB performed the methodology and wrote, reviewed, and edited the manuscript. da Silva ACA and Severo JS contributed equally as co-first authors. All authors approved the final version to publish.
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: Moisés Tolentino Bento da Silva, PhD, Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Physiology, Center for Drug Discovery and Innovative Medicines/RISE-Health: Health Research Network, Department of Immuno-Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of Porto, Jorge Viterbo Ferreira Street, 228, Porto 4050-313, Portugal. mtsilva@icbas.up.pt
Received: June 26, 2025
Revised: July 29, 2025
Accepted: September 11, 2025
Published online: October 14, 2025
Processing time: 110 Days and 15.3 Hours
Revised: July 29, 2025
Accepted: September 11, 2025
Published online: October 14, 2025
Processing time: 110 Days and 15.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: The vagus nerve plays a central role in gut-brain communication and the modulation of gastrointestinal inflammation through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. In this review, we explore the distinct and complementary effects of physical exercise, vagal nerve stimulation, and vagotomy in inflammatory bowel disease. While physical exercise emerges as a non-pharmacological strategy capable of enhancing vagal tone and releasing anti-inflammatory myokines, vagal nerve stimulation offers direct neuromodulation of immune responses and mucosal integrity. In contrast, vagotomy disrupts parasympathetic signaling and exacerbates intestinal inflammation. Understanding how these interventions impact the vagus nerve and immune homeostasis provides insight into novel therapeutic approaches for inflammatory bowel disease management.