“…In prior studies, we have demonstrated that NGF promotes not only granulocyte differentiation from human PBMC and murine bone marrow cells (12,13), but also differentiation of connective tissue-type mast cells from murine bone marrow cells and bone marrow-derived culture mast cells (14). NGF is capable of supporting survival of neutrophils (15), eosinophils (16), and mast cells (9) by preventing apoptosis, and enhancing functional properties of neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, and mast cells: phagocytosis, superoxide production, matrix metalloproteinase-9 production, and chemotaxis (11, 12, 16 -20). These experimental findings strongly support a possibility that NGF acts as a cytokine that is capable of modulating inflammatory responses and tissue repair.…”