A computational simulation of the interaction between immune and neuroendocrine systems

Interesting hints of a neuroendocrine–immune system cross-talk at several biological levels have been brought by many research papers during the last decades, although no scientific evidence has been fully established. In this study we hypothesize that efficient neuroendocrine-immune systems interactions may be identified at the membrane receptor level, and could be highlighted by a structural bioinformatics research. In this paper we built a model of the interaction between a typical gastrointestinal cancer membrane with several substances that are supposed to be involved in the immune response. A computational docking analysis shows that the interaction between melatonin, as a neuroendocrine agent, and other immune substances and mediators of the inflammatory response may have a role in the complex relationship between nervous and immune system.