Effects of Dexamethasone-In Situ Forming Implant (ISFI) on the Differentiation Process of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells to Osteoblasts

Background Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) of humans show a high ability to proliferate and differentiate. Therefore, due to their reproducibility and multi-linear differentiation, they are used in various fields, including tissue engineering and regenerative drugs. Introduction One of the most important technologies in controlling drug release is in situ forming implant systems (ISFIs). Methodology In the present study, it was hypothesized that dexamethasone (Dex)-ISFI is a suitable system for preparing a scaffold for tissue engineering and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteogenic cells. Dental specimens were collected from the third molar teeth of 18 to 30 year old patients. Result and Conclusion To examine how differentiation into osteoblasts takes place, we added DPSCs, ascorbic acid (Asc), beta-glycerophosphate (beta-Gly), Dex, and Dex-ISFI to our solution. Then, the differentiation process was measured by Alizarin Red-S staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and western blot analysis. Our results indicated that Dex-ISFI (implant) and Dex (standard) groups boosted extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization using Alizarin Red-S staining. In addition, ALP activity was elevated in these groups (implant and standard) compared to the control group. The Dex-ISFI treated group increased the expression of proteins (ALP, osteopontin, and runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2)) compared to the control group. This study demonstrated that Dex-ISFI could prompt the process of differentiation of DPSCs into osteoblasts. Lay Summary This study assessed effects of dexamethasone-in situ forming implant (ISFI) on the differentiation process of human dental pulp stem cells to osteoblasts results showed that Dex-ISFI could prompt the process of differentiation of DPSCs into osteoblasts.