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Inflammation

A nervous connection

Nature volume 421, pages 328–329 (2003)Cite this article

The molecular details of a connection between the nervous system and the inflammatory response to disease have been uncovered. This suggests new avenues of research into controlling excessive inflammation.

Sepsis is a complex, exaggerated and chaotic version of the usually well-organized inflammatory arm of our immune defences, and kills over 175,000 people each year in the United States alone1. Although a great deal of time and effort has been spent researching septic shock, it remains difficult to understand and treat. One promising lead was provided two years ago, when it was discovered that there is a connection between inflammation and the involuntary nervous system. The details of this link have, however, been unclear — until now. Writing on page 384 of this issue, Kevin Tracey and colleagues2 describe how they identified a receptor protein that is stimulated by the nervous system and which in turn inhibits a key molecular mediator of inflammation and septic shock. This receptor might make a good target for future drugs to treat sepsis.

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Figure 1: The inflammatory response to microorganisms, and ways of controlling it.

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  1. the VIB/RUG Department of Molecular Biomedical Research, Ledeganckstraat 35, Ghent, 9000, Belgium

    Claude Libert

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  1. Claude Libert
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Correspondence to Claude Libert.

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Libert, C. A nervous connection. Nature 421, 328–329 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/421328a

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