Autonomic nervous system as a key modulator in stress-related inflammatory bowel disease: Mechanisms and therapeutic implications

Figure 5 The impact of stress on intestinal inflammation. Stress can lead to inflammatory bowel disease through various pathways, such as affecting the transmission of intestinal nerve information, affecting the release of neurotransmitters and gastrointestinal hormones, disrupting intestinal barrier function, causing dysmotility, participating in immune inflammatory responses, affecting intestinal microbiota balance, and the release of microbial metabolites, ultimately participating in systemic inflammatory responses. HPA: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; CRH: Corticotropin-releasing hormone; GC: Glucocorticoid; CSF1: Colony-stimulating factor 1; Ach: Acetylcholine; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha; MPO: Myeloperoxidase; IL: Interleukin; CRP: C reactive protein. The pattern was created with BioGDP.com[14].