A new study reveals how electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve-a major nerve connecting the brain and gut-may combat the stress-related inflammation that worsens inflammatory bowel disease symptoms. Published in Science Translational Medicine, the study showed that vagus nerve stimulation in stressed mice with colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, reduced inflammation, improved symptoms, and boosted survival rates. By engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, the team observed that inflammation could be eased by inhibiting SUMOylation, a cellular process that shapes immune response.
Modulating SUMOylation—either through vagal nerve stimulation or treatment with a SUMOylation inhibitor—could open the door to inflammatory bowel disease therapies that focus on managing inflammation directly, rather than alleviating symptoms.
The new study shows that targeting specific forms of SUMOylation could prevent the harmful influx of immune cells that can trigger gut inflammation. Researchers analyzed data identifying that inhibiting SUMOylation, through genetic or drug-based approaches, dramatically slowed disease progression in mouse models.
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