The Versatile Role Of The Vagus Nerve In The Gastrointestinal Tract

Abstract

The vagus nerve, the major nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, innervates several organs from the neck to the abdomen. The vagal branches contain afferent (i.e. sensory) and efferent (i.e. motor) fibres contributing to a bidirectional communication between the visceral organs and the brain. The extensive vagal innervation of the body indicates that vagus nerve has a multitude of physiological functions. Specifically, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is densely innervated by the vagus nerve and the latter plays a crucial role in GI functions such as food intake, digestion, and GI barrier function. In addition, the vagus nerve has immunomodulatory properties suggesting that activation of the parasympathetic innervation of the GI tract could act as a new therapeutic tool to treat intestinal immune diseases. This review summarises the anatomical and physiological properties of the vagal innervation of the GI tract.

Full text

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THE VERSATILE ROLE OF THE VAGUS NERVE IN THE
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
Nathalie Stakenborg, Martina Di Giovangiulio, Guy E. Boeckxstaens,
Gianluca Matteoli
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal
Disorders (TARGID), University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Disclosure: No potential conflict of interest.
Support: Supported by grants from Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO); Odysseus and Hercules pro-
gram to G.E.B., FWO postdoctoral research fellowship to G.M. and by FWO PhD fellowship to M.DG.
Received: 03.09.13 Accepted: 29.11.13
Citation: EMJ Gastroenterol. 2013;1:106-114.
ABSTRACT
The vagus nerve, the major nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, innervates several organs
from the neck to the abdomen. The vagal branches contain aerent (i.e. sensory) and eerent
(i.e. motor) fibres contributing to a bidirectional communication between the visceral organs and the
brain. The extensive vagal innervation of the body indicates that vagus nerve has a multitude of
physiological functions. Specifically, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is densely innervated by the vagus
nerve and the latter plays a crucial role in GI functions such as food intake, digestion, and GI barrier
function. In addition, the vagus nerve has immunomodulatory properties suggesting that activation of
the parasympathetic innervation of the GI tract could act as a new therapeutic tool to treat intestinal
immune diseases. This review summarises the anatomical and physiological properties of the vagal
innervation of the GI tract.
Keywords: Parasympathetic nervous system, vagus nerve, gastrointestinal tract.
TOPOGRAPHICAL ANATOMY OF THE
VAGUS NERVE
The vagus nerve, the main contributor of the
parasympathetic nervous system, is the tenth
cranial nerve originating from the medulla
oblongata in the central nervous system.
Within the medulla, the cell bodies of vagal
preganglionic neurons are found in the nucleus
ambiguous (NA) and the dorsal motor of the
vagus (DMV). These nuclei supply fibres to the
vagus nerve, which emerges from the cranium via
the jugular foramen.1 At the level of the jugular
foramen, the superior jugular ganglion of the
vagus provides cutaneous branches to the
auriculus and external acoustic meatus.2,3 Just
distally, there is a second ganglion, referred to
as the nodose ganglion, collecting sensory
innervation from visceral organs. The cell bodies
of aerent (i.e. sensory) neurons are located in the
latter ganglion and project to the nucleus of the
solitary tract (NTS). This nucleus relays input to
the medulla in order to regulate the cardiovascular,
respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) functions.4
The cervical vagus descends within the carotid
sheath alongside the carotid artery and internal
jugular vein. Cardiac vagal branches leave the
cervical vagus and join the cardiac plexus. The left
and right recurrent laryngeal nerve, arising at the
level of the aortic arch and subclavian artery
respectively, also contribute to the cardiac
innervation. Besides the heart, both vagi innervate
the lungs through the pulmonary plexus.1
INNERVATION OF THE GI TRACT
More distally, the left and right vagus run with the
oesophagus through the diaphragmatic hiatus.
Upon entering the abdominal cavity, the left and
right vagus become the anterior and posterior

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vagus, respectively.1,5,6 However, one has to keep
in mind that each trunk receives fibres from
both cervical vagus nerves.5 The number of
posterior and anterior trunks passing through the
diaphragmatic opening is variable, up to two in
the former and three in the latter.5 The anterior
trunk distributes gastric branches to the anterior
aspect of the stomach and gives o a hepatic
branch. Besides innervating the liver, the hepatic
stem gives o branches to the pylorus and the
proximal part of the duodenum and pancreas.
On the other hand, the posterior trunk distributes
one gastric branch to the proximal posterior
aspect of the stomach and another to the coeliac
plexus, which innervates the spleen and GI tract
reaching as far as the left colonic flexure.1,5,6 The
large intestine receives additional parasympathetic
innervation through the pelvic splanchnic nerve
(S2-S4), which terminates in the pelvic plexus and
emerges as the colonic and rectal nerve.7-10
The aerent vagus nerve innervates the GI tract
via vagal terminals both in the lamina propria11,12
and in the muscularis externa.13-15 However, the
eerent vagus nerve fibres only interact with
neurons of the enteric nervous system (ENS). The
ENS consists out of a dense meshwork of nerve
fibres, situated in the submucosal (i.e. submucosal
plexus) and external muscular compartment of
the intestine (i.e. myenteric plexus).16 By means
of electrophysiological and anterograde tracer
studies, it was demonstrated that preganglionic
parasympathetic fibres (i.e. both vagal and
sacral innervation) directly interact with multiple
postganglionic myenteric neurons by formation
of varicosities, whereas few vagal fibres
communicate with submucosal neurons.17-20 The
preganglionic innervation of the GI tract displays
a typical rostro-caudal gradient with the highest
density of innervated myenteric neurons in the
stomach and duodenum followed by a progressive
reduction in the small intestine and colon.17
The fact that gastric myenteric neurons are
activated by vagal input was also demonstrated
immunohistochemically with the detection of
c-Fos and phosphorylated c-AMP response
element binding protein (p-CREB), which are
markers for neuronal activity.21,22 As activation of
neurons within one ganglion is initiated after the
same latency period, Schemann et al.20
suggest that the vagal input to the ENS is
monosynaptic. However, this is not confirmed
by other studies.22 Currently, three distinct
vagal aerent terminals have been described.
The specific location of each terminal has
correlations with its physiological function.
VAGAL REGULATION OF GI PHYSIOLOGY
Vagal fibres are projected throughout the GI
tract and interact with the gut to regulate
food intake, digestion, barrier keeping, and
immunity. Food intake leads to satiety through
the activation of several pathways: the release
of various peptides from enteroendocrine cells
(EEC), the direct action of certain nutrients
(e.g. short fatty acids23) (Figure 1A), and
mechanoreceptor stimulation due to gastric
distension (Figure 1B).24 Most aerent vagal
endings in the mucosal lamina propria are thought
to be chemoreceptors sensing the presence
of hormones, peptides and nutrients released
by epithelial and neuroendocrine cells.23,25-27 In
contrast, the terminal vagal structures in the
external muscle layers and the myenteric plexus
are considered to be mechanoreceptors detecting
GI distension.13,14 These sensory signals are relayed
to the NTS, in which the aerent information is
processed. Appropriate vagal eerent output is
transmitted from the DMV.12 The latter has a major
metabolic and dietary function, since electrical
stimulation of DMV leads to an increased secretion
of gastric acid,28,29 insulin28,30 and glucagon.28,31
Moreover, the secretion of gastric acid,32 insulin,32-38
glucagon,35-37 and pancreatic polypeptide39,40 is
also elevated when the peripheral vagus nerve
is stimulated (Figure 1). These responses are
all abolished by vagotomy,41 administration of
atropine,35,40,42 or hexamethonium.31,40 Besides
its dietary and metabolic functions, the vagus
nerve also has eects on the intestinal barrier
function through immune cells (i.e. mast cells43) and
the activation of enteric glial cells via the ENS.
Dietary Intake and Metabolism Regulation
Chemical stimulation
The EECs respond to nutrient sensing in the
lumen by the basolateral secretion of leptin in the
stomach44 and cholecystokinin (CCK) in the small
intestine.45 Tracer studies showed that EECs lie in
close vicinity to mucosal vagal aerent terminals
projecting from the nodose ganglia via the
myenteric plexus.11,46 The close anatomical
position between vagal aerents and EECs enables
CCK and leptin to act as paracrine factors,
which activate CCK-A26 and Ob-R receptors25,27
expressed on aerent fibres, respectively.11

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Electrophysiological studies have confirmed
these anatomical observations, since CCK
stimulates aerent nerve fibres47 and nodose
ganglion cell bodies48 via the CCK-A receptor.
Leptin has also been reported to act in synergism
with CCK through CCK-A receptors and aerent
vagal fibres.27,4 9 This aerent signalling is
further relayed to the NTS.49-51 Synergistic vagal
activation by CCK and leptin leads to inhibition
of food intake.49,52,53 In addition, CCK alone
inhibits gastric emptying54-56 and stimulates
biliary and pancreatic secretion (Figure 1).57-59
Figure 1. Vagal regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) physiology.
(A) Aerent vagal fibres receive information from the internal milieu of the GI tract via mechanical
signalling and chemical (i.e. enteroendocrine hormone release and certain food nutrients) and
immunological stimulation (i.e. proinflammatory cytokines).
(B) This sensory information is transmitted to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) to mount an
appropriate eerent (i.e. motor) response through the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV),
such as the secretion of neuroendocrine hormones and variations in GI motility, barrier function, and
modulation of the intestinal immune response.
Efferent
Vagus Nerve
DMV
NTS
A B
Afferent
Vagus Nerve
Motility
Barrier function
Secretion
Anti-inflammatory
CCK
Leptin
Lipids
Distension
Cytokines
Aerent
Vagus Nerve
Motility
Distension
CCK
Lipids
Leptin
Cytokines
Secretion
Anti-inflammatory
Barrier function
Aerent
Vagus Nerve
NTS
AB
DMV

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Indeed, the administration of specific CCK-A
receptors antagonists (i.e. L364,718) prior to a
meal increases food ingestion54,60 and gastric
emptying, but inhibits pancreatic secretion.57,61,62
These eects of CCK are dependent on an
intact vagal supply, since vagotomy58,63,64 or
destruction of small diameter vagal aerent C
fibres by capsaicin abolish the actions of CCK.54-56,58
Mechanical stimulation
Besides chemosensory signal transduction, the
aerent arch of the vagus is also activated by
gastric distension through the stimulation of
aerent vagal mechanoreceptor in the GI tract.
Two candidate mechanoreceptors of the vagus
nerve have been described: the intraganglionic
laminar ending (IGLE)13 and intramuscular
arrays (IMAs).14
The former terminal consists of aggregates
of terminal puncta associated with myenteric
neurons as well as connective tissue structures
surrounding the myenteric ganglia. IGLEs are the
densest in the stomach and become sparse more
caudally.14,65-67 The close anatomical proximity
between the connective tissue layers and the
ganglia indicates that IGLEs are able to detect
the shearing forces between the orthogonal
muscle layers.67,68 Electrophysiological studies
confirm that IGLE could act as low threshold
tension receptors, since distortion of the
stomach leads to activation of tension-sensitive
vagal mechanoreceptors.46,67,69-71
A second class of prominent vagal
mechanoreceptors are IMAs, which consist of
parallel arrays of neurite terminals coursing
parallel to muscle bundles in the longitudinal
or circular muscle layers14,66,72 and lie in close
vicinity of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC).1 5,73 IMAs
are mostly located in the upper stomach,
lower oesophageal and pyloric sphincters.14,74-76
Based on the morphological features, IMAs appear
to act as stretch receptors sensitive to
shearing forces in the long axis. However,
electrophysiological studies have not been able
to unambiguously determine the true functionality
of IMAs.15,70,71
The sensory vagal mechanoreceptors stimulated
by gastric distension, are the first trigger of
vago-vagal reflexes, such as gastric
accommodation,77 inhibition of food intake, and
antral peristalsis (Figure 1).78 Distension also
appears to act in synergy with CCK to increase
aerent activity and consequently decrease food
intake.79-83 However, Grundy et al.84 disagree to
the fact that CCK exerts a direct eect on vagal
aerent mechanoreceptors, rather they suggest
that the action of CCK is mediated through the
sensory vagal chemoreceptors in the mucosa.84
The Vagus Nerve as Intestinal Barrier Keeper
Intestinal epithelial cells maintain a strict barrier
between the external and internal environment
via the expression of tight junctions. The tight
junctions consist of a branching network of
interacting transmembrane proteins, such as
claudins and occludins. The loss of epithelial
barrier integrity and thus tight junction expression
enables bacterial translocation across the
intestinal mucosa, which can initiate detrimental
systemic inflammation after severe injuries.85
Coimbra et al.86-90 showed that there is increased
intestinal permeability after haemorrhagic
shock and traumatic brain and burn injuries,
characterised by a decreased tight junction
expression. Pharmacological, nutritional and
electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve prevents
the breakdown of the epithelial barrier via the
stabilisation of tight junction expression
(Figure 1).88,89,91-96 Evidence suggests that VNS
maintains the epithelial barrier integrity after
severe injury by enteric glia activation. Several
groups have demonstrated that the activation
of glial cells leads to the release of
S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), which increases
the expression of tight junctions and improves
mucosal integrity. These observations were
confirmed in vivo by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection
of GNSO in inflammatory models.97-100
Vagus Nerve and Intestinal Immune System:
The Cholinergic Anti-Inflammatory Pathway
(CAIP)
For many decades, it has been acknowledged
that a complex interplay exists between the
nervous system and immune cells. The central
nervous system (CNS) receives sensory
information about the presence of inflammation
and responds appropriately via two specific
pathways: neuroendocrine and neural routes.101
Aerent arch of CAIP
In light of an overt infection, circular cytokines
(i.e. IL-1 and TNF-α) or pathogenic components
can be detected by higher brain structures (e.g.

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circumventricular organs [CVO]) that are devoid
of a blood brain barrier. Indeed, administration
of intravenous (IV) endotoxin elicited c-Fos
activation in the CVO and NTS.102-104 These
structures give direct input to motor neurons in
the DMV, which project vagal eerents to the
spleen. In this way, the vagus nerve is able to
modulate the splenic immune response.104-106
The immune system does not only communicate
with the brain via the circulation. In the case
of more localised peripheral inflammation, in
which the amount of proinflammatory cytokines
is not detectable by the CVO, aerent vagal
fibres and adjacent glomus cells are activated
by cytokines/chemokines, such as IL-1 and mast
cells mediators.107-109 Electrophysiological studies
have reported that mast cell mediators and IL-1
activate aerent vagal fibres (Figure 1).108,110,111
Furthermore, both IV and IP administration of
endotoxin induced c-Fos activity in primary
aerent ganglia (i.e. nodose ganglia)112 followed
by increased NTS and splenic activity.104 The
same c-Fos induction was observed in the NTS
in response to intestinal anaphylaxis and
inflammation caused by surgical manipulation of
the gut.113-115 Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy largely
abolishes c-Fos activity in NTS and DMV after
i.p. injection of endotoxin (i.e. LPS and SEB).105,116
Together, these observations strongly indicate
that the brain is able to modulate the splenic
immune response indirectly via the detection
of circulating cytokines and directly via aerent
input from sensory fibres.
Eerent arch of CAIP
The splenic immune response plays an important
role during systemic inflammation, since splenic
macrophages are the major source of TNF-α in
sepsis.117 Therefore, the spleen is considered to be
the perfect target to modulate the immune
response in response to endotoxemia. In light of
this, Borovikova et al.118 showed that vagus nerve
stimulation (VNS) strongly inhibits splenic TNF-α
production in a model of systemic inflammation,
introducing the concept of the cholinergic
anti-inflammatory pathway (CAIP). This anti-
inflammatory response is mediated by the
reduced activation of splenic macrophages
expressing alpha7 nicotinic receptor (α7nAChR).
Acetylcholine (ACh) released by memory T cells,
namely, interacts with α7nAChR and inhibits the
secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines via the
JAK-STAT pathway.119-122
Over the years, many studies have demonstrated
the beneficial eect of VNS in other inflammatory
models such as haemorrhagic shock,123
pancreatitis124 and collagen-induced arthritis.125
Ourselves and others also extended the concept
of CAIP to the GI tract, since the gut is largely
innervated by the vagus nerve. Indeed, we and
others showed that electrical, nutritional and
pharmacological activation of the vagal pathway
prevents surgical induced inflammation and thus
postoperative ileus (POI).122,126-129 CAIP activation
also reduced intestinal inflammation in other
models: diabetic-induced gastroparesis,130
colitis,131-133 and LPS-induced septic ileus.134-137
In contrast, vagotomised mice have a higher
susceptibility to develop colitis after dextran
sulphate sodium (DSS) administration.132,138,139
Moreover, a more severe colitis is also correlated
with a reduction of mucosal levels of ACh in a
model of depression.132,140,141 Like in the spleen, the
anti-inflammatory response of CAIP is mediated
through α7nAChR macrophages. Deficiency
of α7nAChR in bone marrow-derived cells
significantly abrogated the vagal anti-inflammatory
eect, whereas α7nAChR deficiency in neurons
and other cells did not have a significant eect
in POI, indicating that the beneficial eect of
VNS depends on α7nAChR expression on
immune cells rather on neuronal cells.129,142 As in
the spleen, the CAIP is not mediated by direct
interaction between α7nAChR macrophages and
eerent vagal fibres, but rather via the modulation
of cholinergic enteric neurons in proximity of
intestinal α7nAChR expressing macrophages.113,129
Other mucosal and submucosal immune cells,
such as dendritic cells, mast cells, and T and B
lymphocytes also express nicotinic receptors and
may, therefore, be involved in CAIP.141
CONCLUSION
To date, electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve
is already used as a therapeutic tool for
intractable epilepsy and treatment-resistant
depression. Currently, the anti-inflammatory
eects of VNS are explored in three clinical
trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA),
Crohn’s disease and postoperative ileus
(NCT01552941, NCT01569503 and NCT01572155).
Future insight from clinical trials and from basic
research will hopefully oer the cholinergic
anti-inflammatory pathway as a novel and powerful
new therapeutic tool.

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