Abstract: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors（nAChRs） are a family of ligand-gated ion channels. nAChRs distribute extensively in central nerve system, neuromuscular junctions and surface of other cells. The differences on subunits and tissue location determinate the diversity of receptor functions. Early research has found that nerve signal transmission is its main function and recent research found it also the key receptor of cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. To illuminate the physiological mechanism of these functions has great clinical significance on treatment of correlated diseases such as myasthenia gravis, epilepsy and multiple organ failure.