title: In vitro differentiation and mineralization of dental pulp stem cells on enamel-like fluorapatite surfaces.
abstract: Our previous studies have shown good biocompatibility of fluorapatite (FA) crystal surfaces in providing a favorable environment for functional cell-matrix interactions of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and also in supporting their long-term growth. The aim of the current study was to further investigate whether this enamel-like surface can support the differentiation and mineralization of DPSCs, and, therefore, act as a potential model for studying the enamel/dentin interface and, perhaps, dentine/pulp regeneration in tooth tissue engineering. The human pathway-focused osteogenesis polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array demonstrated that the expression of osteogenesis-related genes of human DPSCs was increased on FA surfaces compared with that on etched stainless steel (SSE). Consistent with the PCR array, FA promoted mineralization compared with the SSE surface with or without the addition of a mineralization promoting supplement (MS). This was confirmed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, Alizarin red staining, and tetracycline staining for mineral formation. In conclusion, FA crystal surfaces, especially ordered (OR) FA surfaces, which mimicked the physical architecture of enamel, provided a favorable extracellular matrix microenvironment for the cells. This resulted in the differentiation of human DPSCs and mineralized tissue formation, and, thus, demonstrated that it may be a promising biomimetic model for dentin-pulp tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Taocong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Syweren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Zhaocheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Czajka-Jakubowska
authors.forename: Jacques E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Nör
authors.forename: Brian H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Clarkson
authors.forename: Longxing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000880:Anthraquinones / Q000378:metabolism; D001031:Apatites / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000737:chemistry*; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000166:cytology*; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000880:Anthraquinones; D001031:Apatites; C010078:alizarin; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D013752:Tetracycline; C025105:fluorapatite