The osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells in alginate-gelatin/Nano-hydroxyapatite microcapsules

• Published in: BMC biotechnology Vol. 21; no. 1; p. 6
• Main Authors: Alipour, Mahdieh, Firouzi, Nima, Aghazadeh, Zahra, Samiei, Mohammad, Montazersaheb, Soheila, Khoshfetrat, Ali Baradar, Aghazadeh, Marziyeh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 11.01.2021; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Alginate-gelatin microcapsules; Alginates; Alginic acid; Alkaline phosphatase; Biomedical materials; Bone marrow; Bone morphogenetic protein 2; Bone tissue engineering (BTE); Bones; Calcium; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell differentiation; Cell growth; Cell proliferation; Collagen; Dental pulp; Dentistry; Differentiation (biology); Gelatin; Gene expression; Growth; Health aspects; Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs); Hydrogels; Hydroxyapatite; Microcapsules; Microencapsulation; Microenvironments; Morbidity; Morphology; Nano-hydroxyapatite; Nutrients; Osteocalcin; Osteonectin; Physiological aspects; Skin & tissue grafts; Stem cells; Tissue engineering; Iran; Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs); Nano-hydroxyapatite; Alginate-gelatin microcapsules; Bone tissue engineering (BTE)
• ISSN: 1472-6750; 1472-6750
• DOI: 10.1186/s12896-020-00666-3

Microcapsule is considered as a promising 3D microenvironment for Bone Tissue Engineering (BTE) applications. Microencapsulation of cells in an appropriate scaffold not only protected the cells against excess stress but also promoted cell proliferation and differentiation. Through the current study, we aimed to microcapsulate the human Dental Pulp Stem Cells (hDPSCs) and evaluated the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of those cells by using MTT assay, qRT-PCR, Alkaline phosphatase, and Alizarine Red S. The SEM results revealed that Alg/Gel microcapsules containing nHA showed a rough and more compact surface morphology in comparison with the Alg/Gel microcapsules. Moreover, the microencapsulation by Alg/Gel/nHA could improve cell proliferation and induce osteogenic differentiation. The cells cultured in the Alg/Gel and Alg/Gel/nHA microcapsules showed 1.4-fold and 1.7-fold activity of BMP-2 gene expression more in comparison with the control group after 21 days. The mentioned amounts for the BMP-2 gene were 2.5-fold and 4-fold more expression for the Alg/Gel and Alg/Gel/nHA microcapsules after 28 days. The nHA, addition to hDPSCs-laden Alg/Gel microcapsule, could up-regulate the bone-related gene expressions of osteocalcin, osteonectin, and RUNX-2 during the 21 and 28 days through the culturing period, too. Calcium deposition and ALP activities of the cells were observed in accordance with the proliferation results as well as the gene expression analysis. The present study demonstrated that microencapsulation of the hDPSCs inside the Alg/Gel/nHA hydrogel could be a potential approach for regenerative dentistry in the near future.