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World J Transplant. Jun 18, 2026; 16(2): 118169
Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i2.118169
Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i2.118169
Vagal nerve innervation divergence in liver/pancreas: A forgotten key to endocrine recovery after transplantation?
Ao-Yun Zhang, Zi-Han Guo, Yuan Huang, Yu-Rou Shi, Xiao Song, Shuai-Yan Wang, Yun Liu, Tian-Cheng Xu, Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
Guan-Hu Yang, Department of Specialty Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, United States
Co-first authors: Ao-Yun Zhang and Zi-Han Guo.
Co-corresponding authors: Yun Liu and Tian-Cheng Xu.
Author contributions: Zhang AY and Guo ZH conceptualized and designed this review; Zhang AY, Guo ZH, Huang Y, Shi YR, Wang SY and Song X wrote the first draft of the manuscript; all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript; Zhang AY was responsible for the core conceptualization and overall framework, while Guo ZH was responsible for the creation of figures in the initial draft, both authors contributed significantly to the writing of the core content of the manuscript and coordinated the writing process, making essential and irreplaceable contributions to the completion of the project, and thus qualified as the co-first authors of the paper; Xu TC and Liu Y served as the corresponding authors, playing key roles in quality control, academic depth enhancement, and final manuscript coordination preparation as the co-corresponding authors; Xu TC and Yang GH focused on the academic depth and content rigor of the review, assuming key responsibilities for academic oversight, coordinating feedback from all authors on revised versions, leading responses to reviewer comments during the submission process, and guiding further improvements to the manuscript, ensuring the academic quality and publication standards of the review.
Supported by The National Natural Science Foundation, Youth Science Fund Project, No. 82305376; The Youth Talent Support Project of the China Acupuncture and Moxibustion Association, No. 2024-2026ZGZJXH-QNRC005; The 2024 Jiangsu Province Youth Science and Technology Talent Support Project, No. JSTJ-2024-380; and Talent Cultivation Program for Young Researchers, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education Project No. Zyqt202501 and No. Zyqt202503.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Tian-Cheng Xu, Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 138 Xianlin Avenue, Qixia District, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China. xtc@njucm.edu.cn
Received: December 26, 2025
Revised: January 18, 2026
Accepted: February 14, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 155 Days and 4.5 Hours
Revised: January 18, 2026
Accepted: February 14, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 155 Days and 4.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: The differences in vagal innervation between the liver and pancreas play an important role in the recovery of endocrine function after transplantation. Cutting-edge strategies such as intraoperative vagus nerve preservation techniques, targeted neuromodulation, and stem cell-derived neurotrophic factor delivery have shown new prospects for improving endocrine dysfunction after transplantation. Future research should focus on the organ-specific mechanisms of vagal innervation, and the development of novel neuromodulatory therapies is of great significance for transplant recipients.