Stem cell CNTF promotes olfactory epithelial neuroregeneration and functional recovery following injury.

ABSTRACT: Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the olfactory epithelium (OE) are continuously replaced by neuroregeneration from basal stem cells. Acute inflammation destroys OSNs, causing hyposmia or anosmia, but leaves the basal stem cells intact. We previously found that ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is highly expressed in horizontal basal cells (HBCs) and the CNTF receptor is in globose basal cells (GBCs), which are the actively dividing cells that normally replace dying OSNs. Here, we investigated the role of CNTF in basal stem cell proliferation/differentiation and smell function recovery following methimazole-induced acute inflammatory OE injury. Methimazole increased inflammatory markers, TNFα, IL-6, and CD45, and depleted OSNs in the OE at 3 and 5 days. Simultaneously, CNTF and the GBC

SUBMITTER: Cox D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12278058 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature