Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
The Sympathetic Nervous System Mediates Disease Progression in C. Difficile Infection148 views
Author
Tyus, David, Neuroscience - School of Medicine, University of Virginia
Advisors
Petri, William, University of Virginia
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections in the United States, known for triggering severe disease by hyperactivation of the host response. In this study, we determine the impact of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) on CDI disease severity. Mouse models of CDI are administered inhibitors of SNS activity prior to CDI. Chemical sympathectomy or pharmacological inhibition of norepinephrine synthesis greatly reduces mortality and disease severity in the CDI model. Pharmacological blockade or genetic ablation of the alpha 2 adrenergic receptor ameliorates intestinal inflammation, disease severity, and mortality rate. These results underscore the role of the SNS and the alpha 2 adrenergic receptor in CDI pathogenesis and suggest that targeting neural systems could be a promising approach to therapy in severe disease.
Degree
PHD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Keywords
adrenergic; colitis; difficile; sympathetic nervous system
Tyus, David. The Sympathetic Nervous System Mediates Disease Progression in C. Difficile Infection. University of Virginia, Neuroscience - School of Medicine, PHD (Doctor of Philosophy), 2024-11-26, https://doi.org/10.18130/xc4j-hp23.
