Journal
MOLECULES
Volume 26, Issue 24, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26247668
Keywords
Schwann cells; alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor; ICH3; inflammation; regeneration; IL-6; metalloproteinases
Funding
- Ateneo Sapienza funds
- Ateneo Sapienza
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The text discusses the importance of the microenvironment created by Schwann cell activity for peripheral nerve regeneration, and how acetylcholine promotes an anti-inflammatory environment through the activation of α7 nAChRs.
Due to the microenvironment created by Schwann cell (SC) activity, peripheral nerve fibers are able to regenerate. Inflammation is the first response to nerve damage and the removal of cellular and myelin debris is essential in preventing the persistence of the local inflammation that may negatively affect nerve regeneration. Acetylcholine (ACh) is one of the neurotransmitters involved in the modulation of inflammation through the activity of its receptors, belonging to both the muscarinic and nicotinic classes. In this report, we evaluated the expression of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in rat sciatic nerve, particularly in SCs, after peripheral nerve injury. alpha 7 nAChRs are absent in sciatic nerve immediately after dissection, but their expression is significantly enhanced in SCs after 24 h in cultured sciatic nerve segments or in the presence of the proinflammatory neuropeptide Bradykinin (BK). Moreover, we found that activation of alpha 7 nAChRs with the selective partial agonist ICH3 causes a decreased expression of c-Jun and an upregulation of uPA, MMP2 and MMP9 activity. In addition, ICH3 treatment inhibits IL-6 transcript level expression as well as the cytokine release. These results suggest that ACh, probably released from regenerating axons or by SC themselves, may actively promote through alpha 7 nAChRs activation an anti-inflammatory microenvironment that contributes to better improving the peripheral nerve regeneration.
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