Effects mediated by alpha-7 nicotinic receptor in rat adipose mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are multipotent cells present in several tissues and organs as bone marrow and adipose tissue. MSCs derived from Adipose tissue (ASCs) are an attractive source for regenerative medicine because they can be easily isolated, rapidly expandable in culture and show excellent differentiation potential. Acetylcholine (ACh), the most important neurotransmitter in central (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS), plays a key role in the control of physiological processes also in non-neural tissues. Previously demonstrated that M2 muscarinic receptors negatively modulate ASC proliferation and migration. In the present work we demonstrate that rat ASCs also express α7 nAChR receptors. By using the selective α7 nicotinic receptor agonist ICH-3, we demonstrated that α7 receptor activation causes a reduction of cell proliferation without affecting cell survival and morphology. Moreover, by wound healing assay, we have also demonstrated that α7 promotes cell migration and a significant upregulation of CXCR4 receptor. Interestingly the activation of α7 nAChR appears also up-regulate the expression of M2 acetylcholine receptor, suggesting a feedback positive loop between muscarinic and nicotinic receptors. Our data suggest that ACh, via cholinergic receptors might contribute to modulate ASC physiology. Moreover, in particular via nicotinic receptors, ACh might control ASCs migration.