"With aging, the risk of fractures and compromised healing increases."
BUFFALO, NY- December 4, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 21 on November 22, 2024, entitled, " The effects of young and aged, male and female megakaryocyte conditioned media on angiogenic properties of endothelial cells. "
Researchers Murad K. Nazzal, Hanisha L. Battina, Nikhil P. Tewari, Sarah L. Mostardo, Rohit U. Nagaraj, Donghui Zhou, Olatundun D. Awosanya, Saveda K. Majety, Sue Samson, Rachel J. Blosser, Ushashi C. Dadwal, Patrick L. Mulcrone, and Melissa A. Kacenaat from Indiana University School of Medicine and Richard L. Roudebush Veterans' Administration Medical Center , have uncovered how certain bone marrow cells, called megakaryocytes (MKs), promote the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to aid in bone healing. Their findings help explain why healing slows with age and offer insights into potential treatments to accelerate fracture recovery in older adults.
Broken bones are common in older adults, and slower healing can lead to complications and longer hospital stays. Accelerating the healing process could significantly improve the quality of life for millions.
In this study, researchers investigated the effects of substances secreted by MKs, collected from young and older male and female mice. These substances, known as conditioned media (CM), were tested for their ability to stimulate the growth and function of endothelial cells (EC), which form the building blocks of blood vessels. Blood vessels play a critical role in healing by delivering oxygen and nutrients to damaged areas, making angiogenesis a vital part of the recovery process.
The results showed that CM from younger MKs mice was more effective at helping blood vessels grow. Interestingly, MKs from female mice performed better than those from males, regardless of age. For example, substances from female MKs mice boosted blood vessel growth by over 115% and significantly improved the movement of cells needed for healing.
The researchers also studied changes in genes related to blood vessel growth, and found that aging affects how these genes work. These changes may explain why older people heal more slowly after breaking a bone.
"An understanding of which factors regulate which mechanisms of EC functionality may allow for isolation of one or a few factors that influence EC migration changes with aging, resulting in the development of targeted therapy to improve EC migration, subsequent angiogenesis, and fracture healing."
In conclusion, this research paves the way for developing new therapies to help older individuals recover from fractures more quickly, reducing pain and improving mobility. One potential approach could involve creating treatments that replicate the effects of MKs from younger individuals or isolating the specific substances that promote blood vessel growth. This represents an important step toward addressing the growing challenge of delayed healing in an aging population.
Read the full paper: DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206077
