Multiple roles for cholinergic signaling in pancreatic diseases

Table 1 Role of different cholinergic receptors in pancreatic diseases

Pancreatic diseases	Receptor type	Relevant mechanism	Effect	Ref.
Acute pancreatitis	M3	Receptor overexpression	Acinar cell hypersecretion	[49,50,52,55]
Chronic pancreatitis	M3	Cholinergic signaling increases	Acinar cell hypersecretion	[13,64-66]
	M3/M5	Receptor overexpression	Induce fibroblast proliferation	[92]
	α7	Enhances the autophagic flux of acinar cells	Inhibit acinar cell damage	[70,74-77]
Pancreatic cancer	M1	Inhibition of the EGFR/MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways	Inhibit the progression of pancreatic tumors	[14]
	M3	Receptor overexpression	Induction of preinvasive ductal tumor formation	[90,92-94]
	α7	Activating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway	Increasing the migration and invasion capabilities of tumor cells	[86,97,98]