• Valentin A Pavlov, Mahendar Ochani, Li-Hong Yang, Margot Gallowitsch-Puerta, Kanta Ochani, Xinchun Lin, Jelena Levi, William R Parrish, Mauricio Rosas-Ballina, Christopher J Czura, Gregory J Larosa, Edmund J Miller, Kevin J Tracey, and Yousef Al-Abed.
• Laboratory of Biomedical Science, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA. vpavlov@nshs.edu
• Crit. Care Med. 2007 Apr 1;35(4):1139-44.

ObjectiveTumor necrosis factor and high mobility group box 1 are critical cytokine mediators of inflammation. The efferent vagus nerve inhibits cytokine release through alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated cholinergic signaling. Here we studied whether GTS-21, a selective alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, inhibits proinflammatory cytokines in vitro and in vivo and improves survival in murine endotoxemia and severe sepsis.DesignRandomized and controlled in vitro and in vivo study.SettingsResearch laboratory and animal facility rooms.SubjectsRAW 264.7 cells and BALB/c mice treated with endotoxin or subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).InterventionsRAW 264.7 cells were exposed to endotoxin (4 ng/mL or 10 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of GTS-21 (1-100 muM), and tumor necrosis factor and high mobility group box 1 release and nuclear factor-kappaB activation were analyzed. Mice were treated with GTS-21 (0.4 mg/kg or 4 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) or saline 30 mins before endotoxin (6 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), and serum tumor necrosis factor was analyzed 1.5 hrs after the onset of endotoxemia. In survival experiments, mice were treated with GTS-21 (0.4 or 4.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) or saline 30 mins before and 6 hrs after endotoxin and then twice daily for 3 days. Severe sepsis was induced by CLP. Mice were treated with GTS-21 (4 mg/kg) or saline immediately and 6 hrs and 24 hrs after CLP, and serum high mobility group box 1 was analyzed 30 hrs after CLP. In survival experiments, GTS-21 (0.4 or 4 mg/kg) treatment was initiated 24 hrs after CLP and continued twice daily for 3 days.Measurements And Main ResultsGTS-21 dose-dependently inhibited tumor necrosis factor and high mobility group box 1 release and nuclear factor-kappaB activation in vitro. GTS-21 (4 mg/kg) significantly inhibited serum tumor necrosis factor during endotoxemia and improved survival (p < .0001). GTS-21 (4 mg/kg) significantly inhibited serum high mobility group box 1 levels in CLP mice and improved survival (p < .0006).ConclusionThese findings are of interest for the development of alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists as a new class of anti-inflammatory therapeutics.

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