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No neuronal regulation of murine bone marrow function
H B Benestad1, I Strom-Gundersen, P O Iversen
1Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, The University of Oslo, and The Hormone Laboratory, Aker Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Blood
|March 7, 1998
Summary
Nerve connections to bone marrow do not appear to significantly impact blood cell production or release. Studies on sympathectomized and denervated mice found no clear evidence of bone marrow innervation influencing hematopoiesis.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
Background:
- Bone marrow, the site of blood cell formation, is innervated by sympathetic and afferent nerves.
- The functional significance of bone marrow innervation on hematopoiesis and cell release remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of bone marrow innervation in regulating hematopoietic cell production and release.
- To determine if nerve activity influences bone marrow blood flow and cellular egress.
Main Methods:
- Neonatal sympathectomy using 6-hydroxydopamine in mice.
- Surgical denervation of hind limb bone marrow in adult mice.
- Assessment of progenitor and transit cell numbers, proliferative activity, and cell release.
- Electrical stimulation of tibial marrow nerves and assessment of blood flow using radioactive microspheres.
Main Results:
- Neonatally sympathectomized mice exhibited smaller bone marrow cell populations and lower body weight, but no clear impact on cell production.
- Surgical denervation and nerve stimulation did not detectably affect hematopoietic cell production or release from the bone marrow.
- Electrical nerve stimulation reduced muscle blood flow but did not alter bone marrow blood flow.
Conclusions:
- Bone marrow innervation in mice does not appear to have an obvious function in regulating cell production or release.
- The studied methods did not reveal a significant role for tibial marrow innervation in hematopoiesis or cell trafficking.