title: Effects of medium flow on axon growth with or without nerve growth factor.
abstract: Axon growth is a crucial process in regeneration of damaged nerves. On the other hand, elongation of nerve fibers in the epidermis has been observed in skin of atopic dermatitis patients. Thus, regulation of nerve fiber extension might be an effective strategy to accelerate nerve regeneration and/or to reduce itching in pruritus dermatosis. We previously demonstrated that neurons and epidermal keratinocytes similarly contain multiple receptors that are activated by various environmental factors, and in particular, keratinocytes are influenced by shear stress. Thus, in the present study, we evaluated the effects of micro-flow of the medium on axon growth in the presence or absence of nerve growth factor (NGF), using cultured dorsal-root-ganglion (DRG) cells. The apparatus, AXIS™, consists of two chambers connected by a set of microgrooves, through which signaling molecules and axons, but not living cells, can pass. When DRG cells were present in chamber 1, NGF was present in chamber 2, and micro-flow was directed from chamber 1 to chamber 2, axon growth was significantly increased compared with other conditions. Acceleration of axon growth in the direction of the micro-flow was also observed in the absence of NGF. These results suggest that local micro-flow might significantly influence axon growth.
authors.affiliation: Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Tokyo, Japan; Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Japan.
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kumamoto
authors.affiliation: Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitahata
authors.affiliation: Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Tokyo, Japan; Shiseido Research Center, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Tokyo, Japan; Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagayama
authors.affiliation: Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Tokyo, Japan; Shiseido Research Center, Yokohama, Japan. Electronic address: mitsuhiro.denda@to.shiseido.co.jp.
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Denda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004058:Diffusion; D015194:Diffusion Chambers, Culture; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D061251:Primary Cell Culture; D051381:Rats; D012212:Rheology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D020932:Nerve Growth Factor
keywords: Dorsal-root-ganglion; Nerve fiber; Neuron