Abstract
Bell's palsy is the most common form of facial nerve palsy. This study aimed to explore the pathogenesis of Bell's palsy by investigating the effect of cold-stimulated adipocyte supernatant on adhesion molecule expression in Schwann cell line. Schwann cells were cultured in regular or adipocyte-conditioned medium and analyzed using RNA sequencing. The mRNA expression of Schwann cell adhesion molecules melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM), protocadherin 9 (PCDH9), and intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1) was determined using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Differentially expressed genes were identified, and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were conducted. Compared with Schwann cells in 37 °C, the expression of MCAM, PCDH9, and ICAM1 was downregulated in Schwann cells treated with cold-stimulated adipocyte supernatant compared with Schwann cells in 37 °C. Adipocytes subjected to cold exposure may weaken the adhesion capacity of Schwann cells and disrupt the local homeostasis of Schwann cell-axon interactions by affecting the expression of MCAM, PCDH9, and ICAM1, ultimately leading to the development of demyelinating lesions.