Novel roles of perivascular nerves on neovascularization

Adaptive patterning of vascular network during avian skin development: Mesenchymal plasticity and dermal vasculogenesis

A vasculature network supplies blood to feather buds in the developing skin. Does the vasculature network during early skin development form by sequential sprouting from the central vasculature or does local vasculogenesis occur first that then connect with the central vascular tree? Using transgenic Japanese quail Tg(TIE1p.H2B-eYFP), we observe that vascular progenitor cells appear after feather primordia formation. The vasculature then radiates out from each bud and connects with primordial vessels from neighboring buds. Later they connect with the central vasculature. Epithelial-mesenchymal recombination shows local vasculature is patterned by the epithelium, which expresses FGF2 and VEGF. Perturbing noggin expression leads to abnormal vascularization. To study endothelial origin, we compare transcriptomes of TIE1p.H2B-eYFP+ cells collected from the skin and aorta. Endothelial cells from the skin more closely resemble skin dermal cells than those from the aorta. The results show developing chicken skin vasculature is assembled by (1) physiological vasculogenesis from the peripheral tissue, and (2) subsequently connects with the central vasculature. The work implies mesenchymal plasticity and convergent differentiation play significant roles in development, and such processes may be re-activated during adult regeneration. SUMMARY STATEMENT: We show the vasculature network in the chicken skin is assembled using existing feather buds as the template, and endothelia are derived from local bud dermis and central vasculature.

Cancer stem cells and angiogenesis

Cancer remains the primary cause of mortality in developed nations. Although localized tumors can be effectively addressed through surgery, radiotherapy, and other targeted methods, drug efficacy often wanes in the context of metastatic diseases. As a result, significant efforts are being made to develop drugs capable of not only inhibiting tumor growth but also impeding the metastasis of malignant tumors, with a focus on hindering their migration to adjacent organs. Cancer stem cells metastasize via blood and lymphatic vessels, exhibiting a high mutation rate, significant variability, and a predisposition to drug resistance. In contrast, endothelial cells, being less prone to mutation, are less likely to give rise to drug-resistant clones. Furthermore, the direct contact of circulating anti-angiogenic drugs with vascular endothelial cells expedites their therapeutic impact. Hence, anti-angiogenesis targeted therapy assumes a pivotal role in cancer treatment. This paper provides a succinct overview of the molecular mechanisms governing the interaction between cancer stem cells and angiogenesis.

Research status and hot topics of the effects of skin innervation on wound healing from 1959 to 2022: A bibliometric analysis

Background

Skin innervation plays an important role in wound healing by either direct contact with or indirect secretions that impact skin cells. Many studies in this field have been published; however, there is a lack of bibliometric analyses focusing on the effect of skin innervation on skin wound healing. In this study, we aimed to analyse the research trends, status, and hotspots in this field.

Methods

Reviews and articles published in English were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database based on subject term searches. Microsoft Office Excel, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace were used to analyse publication date, country or region, institution, author, and author keywords.

Results

A total of 368 papers published between 1959 and 2022 were included in the analysis. Although there was a pulsation during this period, there was an overall upward trend in studies related to the effect of skin innervation on wound healing. The United States, particularly the University of Washington, and Gibran, Nicole S. from the University of Washington, was the most active in this field. Wound Repair and Regeneration published the most relevant literature, and “Calcitonin gene-related peptide: physiology and pathophysiology” had the highest total number of citations. “Diabetic foot ulcer,” “epidermal stem cells,” “mesenchymal stem cells,” and “mast cells” are current and potential future research hotspots.

Conclusion

This bibliometric analysis will inform the overall trends in research related to the effect of skin innervation on wound healing, summarise relevant research hotspots, and guide future work.

Revisiting Stem Cell-Based Clinical Trials for Ischemic Stroke

Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability, significantly reducing mobility in almost half of the affected patients aged 65 years and older. There are currently no proven neurorestorative treatments for chronic stroke. To address the complex problem of restoring function in ischemic brain tissue, stem cell transplantation-based therapies have emerged as potential restorative therapies. Aligning with the major cell types found within the ischemic brain, stem-cell-based clinical trials for ischemic stroke have fallen under three broad cell lineages: hematopoietic, mesenchymal, and neural. In this review article, we will discuss the scientific rationale for transplanting cells from each of these lineages and provide an overview of published and ongoing trials using this framework.

Increased angiogenesis by the rotational muscle flap is crucial for nerve regeneration

BACKGROUND

The gold standard surgical treatment of nerve injury includes direct repair, nerve graft, and neurolysis. The underlying effects (either beneficial or detrimental) of angiogenesis during nerve regeneration by rotational muscle flap have not yet determined. We assess the neurological outcome and angiogenesis of nerve injury following a rotational muscle flap.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of the patients with severe radial nerve injury by neurolysis and rotational muscle flap; we also mimicked the clinical situation by nerve crush followed by rotational muscle flap in animals to assess associated angiogenesis factor expression.

RESULTS

Twenty-three out of 25 (92%) cases of severe radial nerve injury underwent neurolysis assisted by muscle flap rotation and eventually reached their preinjury neurological outcome. In the animal study, both FITC-dextran and Dil infusion showed a remarkably increased vascular structure in the crushed nerve integrated by the muscle flap and abolished by Avastin injection. The rotational muscle flap significantly increased angiogenesis factor expression, and this was attenuated by Avastin injection. The increased angiogenesis factor expression paralleled the improvement seen in neurobehavioral and electrophysiological studies as well as the significant expression of nerve regeneration markers and the restoration of denervated muscle morphology.

CONCLUSION

Based on the clinical and animal data analysis, we conclude that muscle flap rotation provides a platform for angiogenesis in the acceleration of nerve regeneration. It appears that the muscle flap rotation augmented the nerve regeneration process which may be beneficial for nerve repair in clinical application.

Renal Denervation Suppresses Coronary Hyperconstricting Responses After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation in Pigs In Vivo Through the Kidney-Brain-Heart Axis

OBJECTIVE

Drug-eluting stent-induced coronary hyperconstricting responses remain an important issue. The adventitia harbors a variety of components that potently modulate vascular tone, including sympathetic nerve fibers (SNF) and vasa vasorum. Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) inhibits sympathetic nerve activity. We, thus, examined whether RDN suppresses drug-eluting stent-induced coronary hyperconstricting responses, and if so, what mechanisms are involved.

APPROACH AND RESULTS

Protocol 1: pigs implanted with everolimus-eluting stents into the left coronary arteries underwent coronary angiography at 1 month after implantation for assessment of coronary vasomotion and adventitial SNF formation. Drug-eluting stent-induced coronary hyperconstricting responses were significantly enhanced associated with enhanced coronary adventitial SNF and vasa vasorum formation. Protocol 2: pigs implanted with everolimus-eluting stents were randomly assigned to the RDN or sham group. The RDN group underwent renal ablation. At 1 month, RDN significantly caused marked damage of the SNF at the renal arteries without any stenosis, thrombus, or dissections. Notably, RDN significantly upregulated the expression of α₂-adrenergic receptor-binding sites in the nucleus tractus solitarius, attenuated muscle sympathetic nerve activity, and decreased systolic blood pressure and plasma renin activity. In addition, RDN attenuated coronary hyperconstricting responses to intracoronary serotonin at the proximal and distal stent edges associated with decreases in SNF and vasa vasorum formation, inflammatory cell infiltration, and Rho-kinase expression/activation. Furthermore, there were significant positive correlations between SNF and vasa vasorum and between SNF and coronary vasoconstricting responses.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide the first evidence that RDN ameliorates drug-eluting stent-induced coronary hyperconstricting responses in pigs in vivo through the kidney-brain-heart axis.

The Effect of Sympathetic Denervation on Cerebral Arteriogenesis After Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of perivascular sympathetic nerve on cerebral collateral arteriogenesis in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion models of rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion model was established by right common carotid artery ligation for 8 weeks, while sympathetic denervation was performed by superior cervical ganglionectomy. The male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups including sham group (n = 21), denervation group (n = 21), artery ligation group (n = 21) and combined group with both artery ligation and denervation (n = 21). After 8 weeks of surgery, the rats in each group were randomly divided into 3 subgroups including subgroup A (n = 7), subgroup B (n = 7) and subgroup C (n = 7). The 3 subgroups were subjected to latex perfusion, permanent right middle cerebral artery occlusion and immunohistochemical staining, respectively.

RESULTS

The diameters of right leptomeningeal anastomoses in artery ligation group significantly enlarged compared with sham group. When sympathetic denervation was performed in the presence of artery ligation, diameter of collateral vessel decreased, although larger than in sham group. After 8 weeks of permanent right middle cerebral artery occlusion, the cerebral perfusion over the right middle cerebral artery area in combined group was significantly lower than in artery ligation group, although both were higher than in denervation group and sham group. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining showed that cerebral infarct volume in combined group was significantly larger than in artery ligation group, and smaller than in denervation group and sham group. Neurologic functional scoring showed that scores in combined group were significantly higher than in artery ligation group, and lower than in denervation group and sham group. Immunohistochemical staining for α-smooth muscle actin showed that compared with sham group, tunica media thickness of right leptomeningeal anastomoses in artery ligation group increased significantly. Thickness in combined group was thinner than in artery ligation group, although thicker than in sham group.

CONCLUSIONS

Perivascular sympathetic denervation can impair the cerebral collateral arteriogenesis under condition of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.