The effect of CGRP and SP and the cell signaling dialogue between sensory neurons and endothelial cells.

Increasing evidences demonstrate the role of sensory innervation in bone metabolism, remodeling and repair, however neurovascular coupling in bone is rarely studied. Using microfluidic devices as an indirect co-culture model to mimic in vitro the physiological scenario of innervation, our group demonstrated that sensory neurons (SNs) were able to regulate the extracellular matrix remodeling by endothelial cells (ECs), in particular through sensory neuropeptides, i.e.

Sensory neurons from dorsal root ganglia regulate endothelial cell function in extracellular matrix remodelling.

Background: Recent physiological and experimental data highlight the role of the sensory nervous system in bone repair, but its precise role on angiogenesis in a bone regeneration context is still unknown. Our previous work demonstrated that sensory neurons (SNs) induce the osteoblastic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, but the influence of SNs on endothelial cells (ECs) was not studied.

Methods: Here, in order to study in vitro the interplay between SNs and ECs, we used microfluidic devices as an indirect co-culture model.