2. Academic Validation
  3. Trigeminal nerve-derived substance P regulates limbal stem cells by the PI3K-AKT pathway

Trigeminal nerve-derived substance P regulates limbal stem cells by the PI3K-AKT pathway

  • iScience. 2023 Apr 18;26(5):106688. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106688.
Peipei Xu 1,  Xiongshi Lin 1,  Xing Dong 1,  Ying Liu 2,  Zhichong Wang 2,  Shuangyong Wang 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
  • 2 State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
PMID: 37187698 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106688
Abstract

Trigeminal nerve-derived substance P (SP), a widespread neuropeptide, is known to maintain the corneal epithelial homeostasis and promote the closure of wound healing. Using comprehensive in vivo and in vitro assays and RNA-sequencing analysis, we aimed to unveil the positive effects of SP on the biological characteristics of limbal stem cells (LSCs) and the underlying mechanism. SP enhanced the proliferation and stemness of LSCs in vitro. Correspondingly, it rescued corneal defects, corneal sensitivity, and the expression of LSC-positive markers in a neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) mouse model in vivo. Topical injection of a neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) antagonist caused similar pathological changes as in corneal denervated mice and attenuated LSC-positive markers levels. Mechanistically, we revealed that SP regulated LSCs functions by modulating the PI3K-AKT pathway. Our findings showed that the trigeminal nerve regulates LSCs by releasing SP, which may provide new insights into the regulation of LSCs' fate and stem cell therapy.

Keywords

Cell biology; Neurology; Stem cells research.

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