Yang FY, Chan WH, Gao CY, Zheng YT, Ke CH. Transabdominal ultrasound alleviates LPS-induced neuroinflammation by modulation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling and tight junction protein expression.
Life Sci 2023;
325:121769. [PMID:
37178865 DOI:
10.1016/j.lfs.2023.121769]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
AIM
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be a risk factor in the development of brain inflammation. It has been demonstrated noninvasive neuromodulation through sub-organ ultrasound stimulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether abdominal low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) alleviates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cortical inflammation via inhibition of colonic inflammation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Colonic and cortical inflammation was induced in mice by LPS (0.75 mg/kg, i.p. injection) for 7 days, followed by application of LIPUS (0.5 and 1.0 W/cm2) to the abdominal area for 6 days. Biological samples were collected for Western blot analysis, gelatin zymography, colon length measurement, and histological evaluation.
KEY FINDINGS
LIPUS treatment significantly attenuated LPS-induced increases in IL-6, IL-1β, COX-2, and cleaved caspase-3 expression in the colon and cortex of mice. Moreover, LIPUS significantly increased the levels of tight junction proteins in the epithelial barrier in the mouse colon and cortex with LPS-induced inflammation. Compared to the group treated only with LPS, the LIPUS-treated groups showed decreased muscle thickness and increased crypt length and colon length. Furthermore, LIPUS treatment reduced inflammation by inhibiting the LPS-induced activation of TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory signaling in the brain.
SIGNIFICANCE
We found that LIPUS alleviated LPS-induced colonic and cortical inflammation through abdominal stimulation of mice. These results suggest that abdominal LIPUS stimulation may be a novel therapeutic strategy against neuroinflammation via enhancement of tight junction protein levels and inhibition of inflammatory responses in the colon.
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