Inhibition of inflammatory cytokine production by cholinergic agonists and vagus nerve stimulation
First Claim
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1. A method for providing therapy to a patient suffering from a condition mediated by an inflammatory cytokine cascade, wherein the method comprises:
- mechanically stimulating vagus nerve activity by applying mechanical force comprising a plurality of mechanical stimulations in an amount sufficient to inhibit the inflammatory cytokine cascade by at least 20% over the untreated state, and wherein the condition mediated by the inflammatory cytokine cascade is selected from the group consisting of appendicitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn'"'"'s disease, allergy, organ ischemia, reperfusion injury, sepsis, endotoxic shock, allograft rejection, arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, pancreatitis, peritonitis, hepatitis, burns, Behcet'"'"'s syndrome, graft-versus-host disease, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis and cachexia; and
monitoring a marker of the patient'"'"'s inflammatory cytokine cascade.
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Abstract
A method of inhibiting the release of a proinflammatory cytokine in a cell is disclosed. The method comprises treating the cell with a cholinergic agonist. The method is useful in patients at risk for, or suffering from, a condition mediated by an inflammatory cytokine cascade, for example endotoxic shock. The cholinergic agonist treatment can be effected by stimulation of an efferent vagus nerve fiber, or the entire vagus nerve.
478 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for providing therapy to a patient suffering from a condition mediated by an inflammatory cytokine cascade, wherein the method comprises:
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mechanically stimulating vagus nerve activity by applying mechanical force comprising a plurality of mechanical stimulations in an amount sufficient to inhibit the inflammatory cytokine cascade by at least 20% over the untreated state, and wherein the condition mediated by the inflammatory cytokine cascade is selected from the group consisting of appendicitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn'"'"'s disease, allergy, organ ischemia, reperfusion injury, sepsis, endotoxic shock, allograft rejection, arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, pancreatitis, peritonitis, hepatitis, burns, Behcet'"'"'s syndrome, graft-versus-host disease, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis and cachexia; and monitoring a marker of the patient'"'"'s inflammatory cytokine cascade. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for suppressing the production of TNF, wherein the method comprises:
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identifying a patient suffering from a condition that elevates TNF; monitoring TNF levels in the subject'"'"'s blood; and mechanically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve by applying mechanical force comprising a plurality of mechanical stimulations in an amount sufficient to decrease the amount of TNF in the subject'"'"'s blood by at least 20% over the untreated state.
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6. A method for providing therapy to a patient suffering from a condition that causes an inflammatory cytokine cascade, wherein the method comprises:
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identifying a patient suffering from a condition that causes inflammation through the inflammatory cytokine cascade; and evoking a sustained inhibition of the patient'"'"'s inflammatory cytokine cascade by electrically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve for a first duration, followed by a second duration during which the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is not electrically stimulated, wherein the second duration is at least three times longer than the first duration, wherein at the end of the second duration the levels of inflammatory cytokines are inhibited by at least 20% over the untreated state. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for providing therapy to a patient suffering from a condition that causes an inflammatory cytokine cascade, wherein the method comprises:
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identifying a patient suffering from a condition that causes inflammation through the inflammatory cytokine cascade; and mechanically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve by applying mechanical force comprising a plurality of mechanical stimulations in an amount sufficient to inhibit the inflammatory cytokine cascade by at least 20% over the untreated state. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A method of inhibiting an inflammatory cytokine cascade of a patient suffering from a condition that causes an inflammatory cytokine cascade, wherein the method comprises:
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identifying a patient suffering from a condition that causes inflammation through the inflammatory cytokine cascade; and evoking a sustained inhibition of the patient'"'"'s inflammatory cytokine cascade by electrically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve for a first duration, followed by a second duration during which the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is not electrically stimulated, wherein the second duration is at least three times longer than the first duration, wherein at the end of the second duration the levels of inflammatory cytokines are inhibited by at least 20% over the untreated state.
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17. A method of inhibiting an inflammatory cytokine cascade of a patient suffering from a condition that triggers an inflammatory cytokine cascade, wherein the method comprises:
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identifying a patient suffering from a condition that causes inflammation through the inflammatory cytokine cascade; and mechanically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve by applying mechanical force comprising a plurality of mechanical stimulations in an amount sufficient to inhibit the inflammatory cytokine cascade by at least 20% over the untreated state.
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18. A method of providing therapy to a patient suffering from a condition that causes an inflammatory cytokine cascade, wherein the method comprises:
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identifying a patient suffering from a condition that causes inflammation through the inflammatory cytokine cascade; stimulating vagus nerve activity in an amount sufficient to induce sufficient secretion of a cholinergic agonist to inhibit the inflammatory cytokine cascade by at least 20% over the untreated state; and monitoring a marker of the patient'"'"'s inflammatory cytokine cascade. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification