Homing of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the defect site is indispensable for bone repair. Local endothelial cells (ECs) can recruit MSCs; however, the mechanism remains unclear, especially in the context of the inflammatory microenvironment. This study was aimed to investigate the role of ECs in MSCs migration during the inflammatory phase of bone repair. The inflammatory microenvironment was mimicked in vitro via adding a cytokine set (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) to the culture medium of ECs. The production of PDGF-BB from ECs was measured by ELISA. Transwell and wound healing assays were employed to assess MSCs migration toward ECs and evaluate the implication of PDGF-BB/PDGFRβ. A series of shRNA and pathway inhibitors were used to screen signal molecules downstream of PDGF-BB/PDGFRβ. Then, mouse models of femoral defects were fabricated and DBM scaffolds were implanted. GFP⁺ MSCs were injected via tail vein, and the relevance of PDGF-BB/PDGFRβ, as well as screened signal molecules, in cell homing was further verified during the early phase of bone repair. In the mimicked inflammatory microenvironment, MSCs migration toward ECs was significantly promoted, which could be abrogated by pdgfrb knockout in MSCs. Inhibition of Src or Akt led to negative effects analogous to pdgfrb knockout. Blockade of JNK, MEK, and p38 MAPK had no impact. Meanwhile, the secretion of PDGF-BB from ECs was evidently motivated by the inflammatory microenvironment. Adding recombinant PDGF-BB protein to the culture medium of ECs phenocopied the inflammatory microenvironment with regard to attracting MSCs, which was abolished by pdgfb, src, or akt in MSCs. Moreover, pdgfb knockout suppressed the expression and phosphorylation of Src and Akt in migrating MSCs. Src knockout impaired Akt expression but not vice versa. In vivo, reduced infiltration of CD31⁺ ECs was correlated with diminished PDGF-BB in local defect sites, and silencing pdgfb, src, or akt in MSCs markedly hampered cell homing. Together, these findings suggest that in the inflammatory microenvironment, MSCs migrate toward ECs via PDGF-BB/PDGFRβ and the downstream Src-Akt signal pathway.

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