TNF and arthritic joint disease: It is evident from the preceding discussion that vagus nerve stimulation suppresses inflammation, alpha7nAChR agonists have the ability to ameliorate rheumatoid arthritis, especially in animal models of arthritis whereas arthritis could be exacerbated by vagotomy and suppressed by oral nicotine administration; oral nicotine and/or alpha7nAChR agonists inhibit bone degradation and reduced TNF-α expression in synovial tissue and reduced synovial inflammation (see Figure 1).