Introduction
Nicotine exerts anti-inflammatory effects in several cell types. α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR), which has high permeability to calcium, is believed to contribute significantly to nicotinic anti-inflammatory effects. However, the molecular mechanism is largely unknown. Kupffer cells in the liver play an important role in inflammatory response to pathogens invading, but whether there is α7-nAChR expression in Kupffer cells or cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway involved in this process remains unclear.