Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated stimulation of endothelial cells results in the arrest of haematopoietic progenitor cells on endothelium

The function of endothelial cells that contribute to the regulation of haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) migration from peripheral blood into bone marrow can be influenced by extrinsic factors including nicotine. Therefore, the effect of nicotine on HSPC extravasation was studied. Using a parallel laminar flow chamber, we demonstrated an increase in the number of HSPC adhering to the nicotine-exposed endothelium under conditions of physiological shear stress in vitro. Nicotine-induced adhesion of HSPC was inhibited by mecamylamine, a non-selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR) antagonist. The enhanced adhesive interactions of HSPC with nicotine-exposed endothelial monolayers coincided with the nicotine-induced activation of endothelial cells. Nicotine induced fast cytoskeletal reorganization and formation of filopodia in endothelial cells through interaction with the non-neuronal nAchR expressed by these cells. In addition, nicotine treatment stimulated rapid phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and p-38 in endothelial cells. Finally, nicotine inhibited the stroma derived factor-1-mediated transendothelial migration of HSPC. Decreased migration of HSPC correlated with diminished matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity secreted by bone marrow cells and decreased expression of CD44 on the surface of endothelial cells. Overall, our data suggest that exposure to nicotine causes endothelial cell dysfunction and leads to the pathological arrest of HSPC on endothelium, interfering with their proper migration process.