Photo for representational purposes only.
Tokyo: Researchers from Kyoto University in Japan and the Icahn School of Medicine in the United States have identified a potential new biological treatment for lung inflammation and asthma by stimulating a nerve in the outer ear.
The study, published in the journal Immunity, found that stimulating the auricular branch of the vagus nerve in mice with allergic airway inflammation increased levels of the signaling molecule CGRPB in the airways, significantly reducing lung inflammation.
The researchers said the findings reveal a previously unknown neuroimmune pathway linking the skin of the outer ear to immune responses in the lungs, raising the prospect of bioelectronic therapies for inflammatory diseases instead of conventional drug treatments.
The team said the approach could have broader applications for conditions including pulmonary fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
Lead researcher Rentaro Shibuya of Kyoto University said the results uncover "a previously unknown neuroimmune reflex linking the skin and the lung."
