1. Academic Validation
  2. Substance P modulates BMSCs migration for tissue repair through NK-1R/CXCR4/p-Akt signal activation

Substance P modulates BMSCs migration for tissue repair through NK-1R/CXCR4/p-Akt signal activation

  • Mol Biol Rep. 2022 Mar;49(3):2227-2236. doi: 10.1007/s11033-021-07044-y.
Ran Tao 1 Zhan Qu 2 Ke Zhang 1 Jie Chen 1 Xinyu Wang 3 Youming Deng 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Day Surgery Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
  • 2 Department of Essential Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
  • 3 Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Hospital of Changsha, Changsha, 410008, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
  • 4 Department of Essential Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China. Dymkingdom@163.com.
Abstract

Background: The migration of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to the wound site played an important role in tissue repair. Substance P (SP) has been studied and reported to be involved in tissue repair by promoting the growth of endothelial cells and the migration of BMSCs. However, the complicated process and the molecular mechanisms were not fully understood. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of SP-induced BMSCs migration on tissue repair and its possible mechanism.

Methods and results: Western blot and q-PCR assay revealed that SP could induce the BMSCs migration through overexpression of CXCR4 and upregulation of Akt phosphorylation. And the upregulation was related to the activation of neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R). Besides, we found that the increased phosphorylation Akt caused by SP could be canceled by the inhibition of CXCR4 both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, a skin-injury animal model was established and used to observe the tissue repair process. Results showed that SP could accelerate wound closure, gain more granulation tissue accumulation, and more collagen deposition through the promotion of angiogenesis and induction of the BMSCs migration to the wound site. And these effects could be impaired by inhibition of CXCR4 and p-Akt.

Conclusions: Our results suggested that SP promoted tissue repair through BMSCs migration via upregulation of CXCR4 and p-Akt. The expression of CXCR4 and p-Akt were regulated by NK-1R activation. These findings add more evidence in understanding the mechanisms of SP-induced BMSCs migration and highlight the potential for clinical implementation of SP in tissue repair.

Keywords

BMSCs; Migration; NK-R/CXCR4/p-Akt signal; Substance P; Tissue repair.

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