Stress is a critical inducer in the onset and progression of many chronic diseases. Prolonged or intense stress can disrupt the overall balance between the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. The resulting biological signals may act on corresponding receptors in the cervical spine region, leading to adverse pathological changes. The vertebral artery and the surrounding muscular and connective tissues are influenced by biomechanical abnormalities and inflammatory cascades associated with cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type (CSA), which promotes the release of various hormones. These hormones, through the neuroendocrine-immune system, affect the central nervous system, inducing or exacerbating negative emotional feedback and thereby establishing a "central-local-central" vicious cycle. This article explores the mechanisms underlying the impact of stress on the key CSA symptoms through the neuroendocrine-immune network (NEI) theory, providing a more comprehensive framework for targeted therapeutic interventions in CSA.
Humans ; Neurosecretory Systems/immunology* ; Spondylosis/etiology* ; Vertebral Artery/immunology* ; Stress, Psychological/complications* ; Chronic Disease

Three kinds of networks were summarily described in this review including the small intracellular molecular networks, the middle-scale networks of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-thymus (HPAT) axis and the large network, neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) network, covering the whole organism and linking multiple systems together. The hypothesis was expressed that the "disease" or "syndrome" formed in the human body by the intervention from outside world is based on the changes of multi-molecular network. In this paper, the pattern and ability of signal transduction channel and the methods of studying changes in it were also described, and raised, herefrom, "to determine syndrome by drug effects (DSDE)" is the intervention means for studying syndrome in the light of systemic biological methods. We found Kidney-yang deficiency syndrome covered the NEI network and the regulating center located in hypothamus with Compound Bushen Recipe (CBR, Kidney-tonifying recipe). By intervention with EF, an effective component of CBR, it was found that EF can activate the immune system and the three networks, including growth axis, sex hormone axis and lymphocyte apoptosis network in HPAT axis through the downward pathway of NEI network to play its efficiency of molecular network. There are many regulation patterns of EF on networks. For example, in the network mechanism of lymphocyte apoptosis and proliferation, EF can reconstruct the balance of the opposite apoptosis related genes and proliferation related genes; EF can assemble and integrate co-stimulating molecules, transform growth factors (TGF), and several oncogenes to form an upstream factor network for initiating the proliferation and anti-apoptosis promotion; EF can simultaneously up-regulate the two opposite genes expression of IkappaB and NFkappaB in NIK/IKK/IkappaB/Rel/NFkappaB signal transduction channel, which could not only control the rising of NFkappaB in a moderate range, but also guarantee its predominant status to exert its hinge role in molecule regulating network, by which gene network regulation atlas in HPAT axis of Kidney-deficiency syndrome was observed.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; genetics ; physiology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Kidney Diseases ; chemically induced ; genetics ; metabolism ; Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; pathology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neurosecretory Systems ; immunology ; metabolism ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; metabolism ; Rats ; Signal Transduction ; Yang Deficiency ; chemically induced ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Chinese Bushen Huatan Drugs (BSHT, Chinese drugs for Kidney tonifying and phlegm resolving) on pituitary-sex gland-immune axis in smoking induced mice model of chronic bronchitis.

METHODSModel mice were induced by smoking and divided into the model control group, the large dosage of BSHT group, the small dosage of BSHT group and the positive control group (treated by Guilong Kechuanning, a proved effective Chinese patent drug). A blank group of normal mice was also set for control. Serum levels of testosterone (T), luteotropic hormone (LH), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-8 (IL-8), visceral indexes of testis, epididymis and thymus were measured and microstructure of testis tissue was also observed.

RESULTSAs compared with those in the blank group, serum T, LH and IL-2 levels, and testis, epididymis and thymus indexes were all lower, and IL-8 level was higher in the model control group, moreover, atrophic change of testis was present in the model mice. These abnormal changes were all improved in the BSHT groups.

CONCLUSIONSmoking induced mice model of chronic bronchitis, which may cause reproductive endocrine disturbance and immunosuppression. BSHT could modulate the pituitary-sex gland-immune axis through adjusting the disturbed sex hormone, improve the pathological change of testis and enhance the immunity of organism.

Animals ; Bronchitis, Chronic ; etiology ; immunology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Interleukin-2 ; blood ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Male ; Mice ; Neurosecretory Systems ; drug effects ; Pituitary Gland ; immunology ; Random Allocation ; Smoking ; Testis ; pathology ; Testosterone ; blood