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Figure 4 | Molecular Medicine

Figure 4

From: Serum Cholinesterase Activities Distinguish between Stroke Patients and Controls and Predict 12-Month Mortality

Figure 4

The cholinergic inflammatory mediators of stroke. Acute ischemic stroke triggers focal and systemic inflammatory responses. Vagal ACh signaling inhibits cytokine production; circulating ACh is hydrolyzed by both circulating AChE and BChE, with the latter constituting a more prominent effecter of the inflammatory consequences of stroke. Macrophages and other cytokine-producing cells express ACh receptors, which induce intracellular signals that inhibit cytokine synthesis. Afferent inflammatory signals activate an opposing cholinergic response that suppresses cytokine production and can limit inflammation.

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