Integrative perspectives on electroacupuncture modulation of vagal–cholinergic and neuro–immune–metabolic regulation in long COVID
Liwen Wang, Xiaoyang Hu, Dongning Yan · 2026
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Description
Liwen Wang and colleagues published a 2026 review of how electroacupuncture might act on long COVID through the vagus nerve's anti-inflammatory pathway. Long COVID mixes persistent inflammation, autonomic disturbance, and metabolic trouble across many organs. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is a reflex in which vagus signals, acting through a nicotinic receptor, restrain immune activation. The review also follows energy-sensing pathways involving AMPK, SIRT1, and PGC-1α, which govern cell energy health.
Animal and laboratory studies indicate electroacupuncture can engage that vagal circuit and quiet inflammatory signals, while also nudging the energy pathways. Human evidence is more indirect: changes in autonomic measures, immune markers, and symptom burden. The authors sort claims by evidence level to keep direct findings separate from hypothesis-generating links. Their conclusion is measured: it is a plausible candidate for long COVID. Trials focused on patient phenotypes, with mechanistic readouts, are the way to test it.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Liwen Wang, Xiaoyang Hu, Dongning Yan |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 91 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |