Magnetic vagus nerve stimulation alleviates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by the inhibition of pyroptosis through the M(2)AChR/OGDHL/ROS axis in rats

BACKGROUND: Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is accompanied by an imbalance in the cardiac autonomic nervous system, characterized by over-activated sympathetic tone and reduced vagal nerve activity. In our preceding study, we pioneered the development of the magnetic vagus nerve stimulation (mVNS) system. This system showcased precise vagus nerve stimulation, demonstrating remarkable effectiveness and safety in treating myocardial infarction. However, it remains uncertain whether mVNS can mitigate myocardial I/R injury and its specific underlying mechanisms. In this study, we utilized a rat model of myocardial I/R injury to delve into the therapeutic potential of mVNS against this type of injury. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that mVNS treatment led to a reduction in myocardial infarct size, a decrease in ventricular fibrillation (VF) incidence and a curbing of inflammatory cytokine release. Mechanistically, mVNS demonstrated beneficial effects on myocardial I/R injury by inhibiting NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis through the M(2)AChR/OGDHL/ROS axis. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these outcomes highlight the promising potential of mVNS as a treatment strategy for myocardial I/R injury. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-023-02189-3.