[1] In 1987, a study showed that administration of armin, an irreversible inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, by injection 24 hours before sepsis modelling invoked essential depression of a lethality of mice from experimental infectious process.
Tumor necrosis factors (TNF) (and other cytokines) are produced by cells of the innate immune system during local injury and infection.
Stimulation of the efferent vagus nerve slows heart rate, induces gastrointestinal motility, and inhibits TNF production in spleen.
[1] Stimulation of the efferent pathway of the vagus nerve releases acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter which interacts with the α7 subunit of the nicotinic AChR (α7 nAChR).
[13] Thus, the prefrontal input to the ANS modulate the inflammatory response to psychological stress in part via the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.