The gut bacteria compositional changes observed in VIP<sup>-/-</sup> mice was consistent with gut microbial structure changes reported for certain inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
It has been reported that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is associated with the downregulation of both inflammatory and autoimmune diseases through regulating T lymphocyte balance.
Vasoactive-intestinal-peptide (VIP)-positive nerve fibres are involved in influencing, e.g., epithelial cell proliferation, mucus secretion (e.g., mucin 2 and trefoil factor 3 of goblet cells) and inflammation or autoimmunity, all putative and/or known factors altered in chagasic megacolon.
This study tested the hypothesis that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is able to modify the macrophage inflammatory profile, thus supporting its therapeutic role in autoimmune diseases.