Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway (CAP) Activation in a Model of Acute Lung Infection

The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP), has been well-studied and shown to control peripheral cytokine levels and inflammation. This nerve pathway has been activated pharmacologically or by nerve stimulators and studied in animal models and clinical studies. However, these CAP investigations have typically been performed in models or study populations of severe systemic or pathological inflammation. This transcriptomic profiling study was conducted in rats to understand CAP in a model of actue lung infeaction. Splenic ultrasound stimulation was used to activate CAP in both healthy animals and animals with an acute lung infection. Transcriptomic profiles of blood of 36 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats 18 hours after recieving an injection of either Streptococcus Pneumoniae Serotype 19F bacteria (N=24) or saline (N=12) followed 16 hours later by ultrasound of the spleen for 5 minutes of stimulation (N=18) or sham treatment (N=18).