Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41279838›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2025

Neural Inflammation in Thoracic Dorsal Root Ganglia Mediates Cardiopulmonary Spinal Afferent Sensitization in Chronic Heart Failure.

Juan Hong, Samuel Gillman, Peter Pellegrino, Gang Zhao, Rongguo Ren, Steven J Lisco, Irving H Zucker, Dong Wang, Han-Jun Wang

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Juan HongDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.
Samuel GillmanDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.
Peter PellegrinoDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.ORCID 0000-0001-7880-7072
Gang ZhaoDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.
Rongguo RenDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.
Steven J LiscoDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.
Irving H ZuckerCellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.
Dong WangDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.
Han-Jun WangDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198.ORCID 0000-0001-5906-8980

Funding

Neural Inflammation and Exercise Pressor Reflex in Heart FailureR01HL169205 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI HANJUN WANG · 2023 to 2026
$2.5M
Stellate Ganglia Nrf2 Signaling and Enhanced Cardiac Sympathetic Tone in Chronic Heart FailureR01HL172029 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI HANJUN WANG, Irving H Zucker · 2024 to 2026
$2.2M
Novel Neural Mechanisms underlying Lung-Heart Pathological CrosstalkR01HL152160 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI WANG, HANJUN · 2020 to 2023
$2.2M
Nrf2 and the exaggerated Exercise Pressor Reflex in Peripheral Arterial DiseaseR01HL171602 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI HANJUN WANG · 2024 to 2026
$1.9M
Novel Stellate Ganglia Chemo-ablation Approach to Treat Cardiac Arrhythmia and Cardiac Remodeling in Heart FailureR21HL170127 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI DUAN, BIN, WANG, HANJUN · 2023 to 2024
$422k
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL152160NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL169205NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL171602NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL172029NHLBI NIH HHS R21 HL170127
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) and pulmonary spinal afferent reflex (PSAR) amplify sympathetic activity and may contribute to chronic heart failure (CHF). We hypothesized that neural inflammation in thoracic dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) drives cardiopulmonary afferent sensitization through suppression of voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels after myocardial infarction (MI). MI was induced in rats by coronary ligation. Molecular profiling, immunofluorescence, tissue clearing, and functional assays were used to assess neuroinflammation and reflex responses. Post-MI, thoracic DRGs showed macrophage infiltration, glial activation, cytokine upregulation, and reduced Kv channel expression. Bulk RNA-seq identified enrichment of macrophage activation-related genes, and in vitro studies confirmed that pro-inflammatory cytokines and activated macrophages suppressed Kv channels and increased DRG neuron excitability. Epicardial injection of biotinylated TNF-α demonstrated cardiac afferent-mediated cytokine transport to DRGs, inducing macrophage infiltration via a cytokine receptor-dependent mechanism. Anti-inflammatory interventions including oral minocycline, systemic macrophage depletion, and local epidural delivery of thermo-responsive hydrogel-forming dexamethasone prodrug (ProGel-Dex) significantly reduced DRG neuroinflammation, restored Kv channel levels, and attenuated exaggerated CSAR and PSAR responses. ProGel-Dex also improved cardiac chamber dilation in the post-MI rats. These findings identify a cytokine uptake-glial activation-macrophage activation pathway as a driver of cardiopulmonary afferent sensitization after MI. Targeting DRG inflammation, particularly with sustained local dexamethasone delivery using ProGel-Dex, offers a precision medicine to dampen pathological sympathetic activation and improve cardiac outcomes in CHF.

Indexed as

cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR)cytokine transportganglia inflammationmyocardial infarctionpulmonary sympathetic afferent reflex (PSAR)

Identifiers

PMID41279838
PMCPMC12633454

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.