Serious major burns, trauma and surgical stress can easily develop into sepsis, and further result in septic shock or even multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The mechanism of MODS is complicated, including excessive inflammation, immune dysfunction, coagulation disorder, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Recent studies have demonstrated that the nervous system could significantly and quickly suppress systemic inflammatory response via the vagus nerve, which might improve multiple organ damage following acute injury. This article is to brief our understanding concerning the structure characteristics of cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, and its effects on vital organ function and the regulatory mechanism, which might be of great significance to seek a novel way for interventional strategy of MODS.

Multiple organ failure; Systemic inflammatory response syndrome; Cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway