RRC ID 86562
Author Mihara T, Tanabe H, Nonoshita Y, Yamakawa Y, Kurosawa T, Hori M.
Title The role of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in promoting M2 macrophage polarization at inflammatory sites.
Journal Sci Rep
Abstract The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) on macrophages exerts anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing the JAK/STAT and NF-κB pathways. Although the role of α7nAChR in immunoregulatory mechanisms in "individual" macrophages is established, studies on α7nAChR in an "overall population" of macrophages, including M1/M2 polarity, remain limited. Therefore, we examined the role of α7nAChR in M1/M2 polarity in inflammation. We generated peritonitis mouse models via LPS treatment and sterile intestinal manipulation in wild-type and α7nAChR-deficient mice. M1/M2 macrophage polarization was measured using PCR and flow cytometry. THP-1 and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC)-derived monocytes were treated with the α7nAChR agonist PNU-282987 during differentiation into M1/M2 macrophages. α7nAChR deficiency upregulated mRNA expression of the M1 marker and downregulated the M2 marker in a peritoneal cell population. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the proportion of M2 macrophages in the peritoneal cell population decreased in α7nAChR-deficient mice in both models. In splenectomized LPS-treated wild-type mice, the proportion of M2 macrophages in the peritoneal cell population was reduced compared to that in sham-operated LPS-treated mice. The M2 marker CD206 and IL10 were upregulated in PNU-282987-treated THP-1 and hPBMC-derived macrophages. These results revealed that α7nAChR exerted M2-enhancing effects with the mechanism suggestively acting in the spleen.
Published 2026-1-14
DOI 10.1038/s41598-026-35757-2
PII 10.1038/s41598-026-35757-2
PMID 41535361
IF 3.998
Resource
Human and Animal Cells THP-1(RCB3686)