α7nAChR-mediated cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway of immune cells in sepsis induced cardiac injury

Sepsis is a systemic syndrome characterized by widespread inflammatory responses induced by pathogenic microorganism invasion into the body, with increased suscep-tibility to major organs. Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy is characterized by reversible myocardial depression or injury, primarily presenting as acute heart failure and/or arrhythmias triggered by sepsis. The mortality rate substantially increases when septic patients develop sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) regulates inflammatory responses through the release of acetylcholine (ACh) via the vagus nerve and acts upon α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChR) on immune cells to suppress pro-inflammatory sytokines synthesis. In this review, we provide a concise overview of the current understanding of the α7nAChR-mediated CAP in sepsis-induced cardiac injury, with a primary focus on α7nAChR involvement in immune regulation.