Enterococcus faecium L-15 Cell-Free Extract Improves the Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 20; no. 3; p. 624
• Main Authors: Kim, Hyewon, Park, Sangkyu, Kim, Kichul, Ku, Seockmo, Seo, Jeongmin, Roh, Sangho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 31.01.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Aging; Cartilage; Cell differentiation; chondrogenic differentiation; Collagen; Defects; Dental pulp; dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs); Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent); Differentiation; Enterococcus faecium; Extracellular matrix; Gene expression; Homeostasis; Immunodeficiency; lactic acid bacteria; Neurological diseases; Older people; Stem cells; Surface markers; Trauma; chondrogenic differentiation; Enterococcus faecium; lactic acid bacteria; dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs)
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030624

Hyaline cartilage is a tissue of very low regenerative capacity because of its histology and limited nutrient supply. Cell-based therapies have been spotlighted in the regeneration of damaged cartilage. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are multipotent and are easily accessible for therapeutic purposes. In human gastrointestinal tracts, is a naturally occurring commensal species of lactic acid bacteria. In this work, the human DPSCs were differentiated into chondrocytes using a chondrogenic differentiation medium with or without L-15 extract. We observed that chondrogenic differentiation improved in an L-15 extract (L-15)-treated DPSC group via evaluation of chondrogenic-marker mRNA expression levels. In particular, we found that L-15 treatment promoted early-stage DPSC differentiation. Cells treated with L-15 were inhibited at later stages and were less likely to transform into hypertrophic chondrocytes. In L-15-treated groups, the total amount of cartilage extracellular matrix increased during the differentiation process. These results suggest that L-15 promotes chondrogenic differentiation, and that L-15 may be used for cartilage repair or cartilage health supplements. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the beneficial effect of L-15 treatment on chondrogenic differentiation.