Platelets Orchestrate a Neuroimmune Axis Driving Cutaneous Inflammation and Itch.
Overview
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, School of Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology (Guangzhou First People’s Hospital), Guangzhou 510180, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Shanghai 200000, China
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410000, China
- School of Basic Medicine, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar, Heilongjiang 161006, China
- Department of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710038, China
- Department of Pain Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 200000, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100000, China
Abstract
Platelets are traditionally recognized for their roles in hemostasis, but their involvement as active immune modulators in cutaneous neuroimmune signaling remains poorly understood. In this study, we integrated multi-modal genetic and pharmacological strategies to investigate the functional contribution of platelets to skin inflammation and chronic itch. Optogenetic activation of platelets was sufficient to elicit localized skin inflammation, erythema, and robust pruritus, with transcriptomic profiling of lesions showing strong concordance with the clinical signatures of atopic dermatitis (AD). In experimental AD models, platelet depletion markedly reduced scratching behavior, inflammatory cell infiltration, and C-fiber excitability, whereas platelet activation exacerbated these phenotypes. Mechanistically, activated platelets release serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)], which compromises vascular integrity and facilitates platelet extravasation into the dermis. This “neuroimmune hub” promotes macrophage recruitment and sensitizes TRPV1+ pruriceptors. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that platelet-derived 5-HT drives these processes via HTR2B and HTR7 signaling. Specifically, genetic ablation of HTR2B in TRPV1+ neurons selectively impaired itch transmission. Furthermore, re-analysis of clinical datasets confirmed the enrichment of HTR2B and HTR7 in skin macrophage populations during inflammation. Systemic administration of HTR antagonists or the anti-platelet agent clopidogrel markedly attenuated both inflammation and pruritus across multiple models. Our findings identify the platelet–immune–neuron axis as a key driver of cutaneous dysfunction and a promising therapeutic target for chronic inflammatory skin disorders.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Code
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Data
Datasets cited
- geo:GSE314731, at NCBI GEO; found in “Data Availability”
Other data links
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
geo , NCBI; found in the text, “GEO data retrieval and analysis”
Data Availability
All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Versions
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Version 1, 28 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, pages, dates, 10 authors, 5 funders, 45 references.
Cite
This paper
Hu, X., Wang, F., Wang, T., Liu, Y., Zhang, L., Liu, L., Cao, L., Pu, S., Yang, R., & Feng, J. (2026). Platelets Orchestrate a Neuroimmune Axis Driving Cutaneous Inflammation and Itch. Research (Washington, D.C.), 9, 1294. https://
BibTeX
@article{hu2026platelets
author = {Hu, Ximin and Wang, Fujun and Wang, Ting and Liu, Yifei and Zhang, Lei and Liu, Libei and Cao, Liang and Pu, Shaofeng and Yang, Ronghua and Feng, Jing},
title = {{Platelets Orchestrate a Neuroimmune Axis Driving Cutaneous Inflammation and Itch}},
journal = {Research (Washington, D.C.)},
year = {2026},
month = may,
volume = {9},
pages = {1294},
publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
issn = {2639-5274},
doi = {10.34133/
url = {https://
pmid = {42221301},
pmcid = {PMC13216866}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Hu, Ximin
AU - Wang, Fujun
AU - Wang, Ting
AU - Liu, Yifei
AU - Zhang, Lei
AU - Liu, Libei
AU - Cao, Liang
AU - Pu, Shaofeng
AU - Yang, Ronghua
AU - Feng, Jing
TI - Platelets Orchestrate a Neuroimmune Axis Driving Cutaneous Inflammation and Itch
T2 - Research (Washington, D.C.)
J2 - Research (Wash D C)
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 9
SP - 1294
SN - 2639-5274
PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science
DO - 10.34133/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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