Cerebral ischemia-induced elevation of hepatic inflammatory factors accompanied by glucose intolerance suppresses hypothalamic orexin-A-mediated vagus nerve activation

Activation of vagus nerve exerts orexin-A (OXA)-mediated suppression of post-ischemic glucose intolerance and cerebral ischemic neuronal damage. Cerebral ischemia induces hepatic inflammatory factors and contributes to the development of hepatic insulin resistance by activating sympathetic nerves. However, it is not enough to understand whether OXA regulates these phenomena through activation of vagus nerve. In this study, we demonstrated that the involvement of OXA-induced activation of vagus nerve in the induction of hepatic inflammatory factors by cerebral ischemia. Focal cerebral ischemic model construction was performed by 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in ddY male mice. OXA-positive neurons were visualized using the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold™. Intrahypothalamic OXA (5 pmol/mouse) administration significantly suppressed the MCAO-induced post-ischemic glucose intolerance and neuronal damage. The MCAO-induced decrease in hepatic insulin receptors and increase in hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes were suppressed by OXA administration. These effects were canceled by N-butylscopolamine (a muscarinic receptor antagonist). MCAO-induced increases in hepatic F4/80, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β on day 1 after MCAO were reversed by OXA administration. These effects were abolished by N-butylscopolamine or hepatic vagotomy. These results suggest that OXA-induced activation of vagus nerve regulates the post-ischemic elevation of hepatic inflammatory factors, and which may be contributed to part of OXA-mediated regulation of post-ischemic glucose intolerance.