• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.39-45
• /
• 2017

Metformin (1,1-dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride), derived from French lilac (Galega officinalis), is a first-line anti-diabetic drug prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the role of metformin in odontoblastic cell differentiation is still unclear. This study therefore undertook to examine the effect of metformin on regulating odontoblast differentiation in MDPC-23 mouse odontoblastic cells derived from mouse dental papilla cells. As compared to controls, metformin significantly accelerated the mineralization, significantly increased and accelerated the expressions of ALP and Col I mRNAs, and significantly increased the accelerated expressions of DSPP and DMP-1 mRNAs, during differentiation of MDPC-23 cells. There was no alteration in cell proliferation of MDPC-23 cells, on exposure to metformin. These results suggest that the effect of metformin on MDPC-23 mouse odontoblastic cells derived from mouse dental papilla cells, facilitates the odontoblast differentiation and mineralization, without altering the cell proliferation.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.53-62
• /
• 2016

In the present study, we evaluated the effect of CGM on osteogenic differentiation of cultured osteoblasts, and determined whether combination treatment with LLLT had synergistic effects on osteogenic differentiation. The results indicated that CGM promoted proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization of osteoblasts at the threshold concentration of $10{\mu}g/ml$; whereas, CGM showed cytotoxic properties at concentrations above $100{\mu}g/ml$. ALP activity and mineralization were increased at concentrations above $10{\mu}g/ml$. CGM in concentrations up to $10{\mu}g/ml$ also increased the expression of osteoblast-activated factors including type I collagen, BMP-2, RUNX2, and Osterix. The CGM ($50{\mu}g/ml$) and LLLT (80 mW for 15 sec) combination treatment group showed the highest proliferation levels, ALP activity, and mineralization ratios. The combination treatment also increased the levels of phosphorylated forms of p38, ATF2, PKD, ERK, and JNK. In addition, the osteoblast differentiation factors including type I collagen, BMP-2, RUNX2, and Osterix protein levels were clearly increased in the combination treatment group. These results suggested that the combination treatment of CGM and LLLT has synergistic effects on the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblastic cells.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.447-453
• /
• 2013

Osteoblastic activity of nectandrin A was examined in C2C12 cells. Nectandrin A enhances the BMP-induced osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization, manifested by the up-regulation of differentiation markers (alkaline phosphatase and osteogenic genes) and increased calcium contents. In C2C12 cells co-transfected with expression vector encoding Smad4 and Id1-Luc reporter, nectandrin A increased Id1 luciferase activity in a concentration-dependent manner, when compared to that in BMP-2 treated cells, indicating that Smad signaling pathway is associated with nectandrin A-enhanced osteoblastic differentiation in C2C12 cells. In addition, nectandrin A activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in time- and concentration-dependent manners, and phosphorylated form of pSmad1/5/8 and alkaline phosphatase activity were both decreased when the cells were pretreated with SB203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor, suggesting that p38 MAPK might be an upstream kinase for Smad signaling pathway. Taken together, nectandrin A enhances the BMP-induced osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization of C2C12 cells via activation of p38 MAPK-Smad signaling pathway, and it has a therapeutic potential for osteoporosis by promoting bone formation.

• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.793-801
• /
• 2018

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of low-level laser treatment (LLLT) and recombinant human bone morphological protein-2 (rhBMP-2) applied to hypoxic-cultured MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells and to determine possible signaling pathways underlying differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts under hypoxia. METHODS: MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured under 1% oxygen tension for 72 h. Cell cultures were divided into four groups: normoxia control, low-level laser (LLL) alone, rhBMP-2 combined with LLLT, and rhBMP-2 under hypoxia. Laser irradiation was applied at 0, 24, and 48 h. Cells were treated with rhBMP-2 at 50 ng/mL. Alkaline phosphatase activity was measured at 3, 7, and 14 days to evaluate osteoblastic differentiation. Cell mineralization was determined with Alizarin red S staining at 7 and 14 days. Western blot assays were performed to evaluate whether p38/protein kinase D (PKD) signaling was involved. RESULTS: The results indicate that LLLT and rhBMP-2 synergistically increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralization. Western blot analyses showed that expression of type I collagen, runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), and Osterix (Osx), increased and expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha ($HIF-1{\alpha}$), decreased more in the LLLT and rhBMP-2 combined group than in the rhBMP-2 or LLL alone groups. Moreover, LLLT and rhBMP-2 stimulated p38 phosphorylation and rhBMP-2 and LLLT increased Prkd1 phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: Combined treatment with rhBMP-2 and LLL induced differentiation and mineralization of hypoxic-cultured MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts by activating p38/PKD signaling in vitro.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.146-152
• /
• 2012

MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are about 21-25 nucleotides in length and regulate mRNA translation by base pairing to partially complementary sites, predominantly in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the target mRNA. In this study, the expression profile of miRNAs was compared and analyzed for the establishment of miRNA-related odontoblast differentiation using MDPC-23 cells derived from mouse dental papilla cells. To determine the expression profile of miRNAs during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells, we employed miRNA microarray analysis, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Alizaline red-S staining. In the miRNA microarray analysis, 11 miRNAs were found to be up- or down-regulated more than 3-fold between day 0 (control) and day 5 of MDPC-23 cell differentiation among the 1,769 miRNAs examined. In qRT-PCR analysis, the expression levels of two of these molecules, miR-194 and miR-126, were increased and decreased in the control MDPC-23 cells compared with the MDPC-23 cells at day 5 of differentiation, respectively. Importantly, the overexpression of miR-194 significantly accelerated mineralization compared with the control cultures during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells. These results suggest that the miR-194 augments MDPC-23 cell differentiation, and potently accelerates the mineralization process. Moreover, these in vitro results show that different miRNAs are deregulated during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells, suggesting the involvement of these genes in the differentiation and mineralization of odontoblasts.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.37-45
• /
• 2022

The aim of the present study was to investigate the physiological role of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) associated with odontogenic differentiation during tooth development in mice. Mouse dental papilla cell-23 (MDPC-23) cells cultured in differentiation media were stimulated with the specific NAMPT inhibitor, FK866, and Visfatin (NAMPT) for up to 10 days. The cells were evaluated after 0, 4, 7, and 10 days. Cell viability was measured using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The mineralization assay was performed by staining MDPC-23 cells with Alizarin Red S solution. After cultivation, MDPC-23 cells were harvested for quantitative PCR or Western blotting. Analysis of variance was performed using StatView 5.0 software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The expression of NAMPT increased during the differentiation of murine odontoblast-like MDPC-23 cells. Furthermore, the up-regulation of NAMPT promoted odontogenic differentiation and accelerated mineralization through an increase in representative odontoblastic biomarkers, such as dentin sialophosphoprotein, dentin matrix protein-1, and alkaline phosphatase in MDPC-23 cells. However, treatment of the cells with the NAMPT inhibitor, FK866, attenuated odontogenic differentiation, as evidenced by the suppression of odontoblastic biomarkers. These data indicate that NAMPT regulated odontoblastic differentiation through the regulation of odontoblastic biomarkers. The increase in NAMPT expression in odontoblasts was closely related to the formation of the extracellular matrix and dentin via the Runx signaling pathway. Therefore, these data suggest that NAMPT is a critical regulator of odontoblast differentiation during tooth development.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.495-505
• /
• 2006

In this study we evaluate the effects of bFGF-BB and PDGF on in vitro proliferation, differentiation and mineralization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from rat. MSCs were prepared from the bone marrow of 6 or 7-week-old male rats with a technique previously described by Maniatopoulos et al. in 1988. Lineage differentiation to osteogenesis, chondrogenesis and adipogenesis were performed. At first, we characterized the cultured cell on passage 1, 3, 5, 7 with immunocytochemical staining using CD29, 44, 34, 45, ${\alpha}$-SMA and type I collagen. And to study the effects of bFGF and PDGF-BB on proliferation, differentiation and mineralization, we seeded the expanded cell at a density of 6 $6{\times}10^3\;cells/cm^2$ to 100-mm dish for evaluation of cell proliferation and MTT assay was carried out on day 2, 4, 7, 9. We also resuspended the cells with same density $(6{\times}10^3\;cells/cm^2)$ to 24 well plates for subculture. On the following day, the attached cells were exposed to 2.5ng/ml bFGF and/or 25ng/ml PDGF-BB daily during 5 days. The osteocalcin (OC) level was assessed and mineral contents were evaluated with alizarin red S staining on subculture day 2, 7, 14, 21. We identified the mesenchymal stem cell from the bone marrow derived cells of rat through their successful multi-differentiation and stable display of its phenotype. And bFGF and PDGF-BB showed the effect that inhibited osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization mildly in above concentration at in vitro culture. This study was supported by grant 04-2004-0120 from the Seoul National University Hospital Research Fund.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.99-103
• /
• 2005

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), members of a large group of TGF-beta family, are important molecular regulators of morphogenesis of numerous tissues and organs, including bones and teeth. Most BMPs are capable of inducing bone formation in vivo and therefore are of considerable clinical interest for regenerating mineralized tissues. Recently, we have developed a method to culture cells from human cementum (human cementum-derived cells, HCDCs). HCDCs, when attached to synthetic hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate (HA/TCP) ceramic and transplanted into immunodeficient mice, formed histologically identifiable cementum-like tissue. Since it is unclear to what extent BMPs are involved in cementogenesis, the aim of this study was to establish which BMPs are expressed by cementogenic HCDCs and whether the expression of BMPs is related to the degree of cellular differentiation in vitro. HCDCs were maintained in growth medium (DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10% FBS) until confluent (proliferation stage). Upon reaching confluence, cells were incubated in the differentiation medium (DMEM/F12 medium containing 10% FBS and 50 mg/ml ascorbic acid) for 14 days (differentiation stage). Next, HCDCs were incubated in mineralization medium (DMEM/F12, 50 mg/ml ascorbic acid, 2.5 mg/ml of ITS (insulin-transferrinselenium), 5 mM beta-glycerophosphate and $10^{-8}M$ dexamethasone) for another 14 days (mineralization stage). At the end of each differentiation stage, total RNA was isolated and evaluated for BMPs (2 through 8) expression by employing real time RT-PCR. HCDCs expressed most of BMPs examined except BMP-7 and BMP-8. Furthermore, on average, the highest levels of BMPs were expressed at the earlier differentiation stage, prior to the initiation of mineralization in vitro. These results indicate that several BMPs are expressed during cementoblastic differentiation and suggest that BMPs may be involved in the homeostasis of human cementum.

• Proceedings of the KACD Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.550-550
• /
• 2003

IL-1${\alpha}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ play an important role in initiating and coordinating the cellular events that make up the immune response to infection. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of proinflammatory cytokines on mineralization and HO-1 protein expression in the human pulp cells. Human pulp cell cultures between the fifth and sixth passage were used in this study. Alkaline phosphatase and osteonectin were selected as markers for mineralization that is, odontoblast-like differentiation.(omitted)

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.491-500
• /
• 2011

Ursolic acid, triterpenoid compound has been shown to stimulate osteoblast differentiation and enhance bone formation. In the present study, we examined the effects of similar triterpenoid compounds, oleanolic acid (OA) and its derivatives, such as oleanolic acid acetate (OAA) and oleanolic acetate methyl ester (OAM) on the bone formation in MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells. We determined cellular proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineralization, and expression of osteoblast specific genes and mitogen activated protein kinase phosphorylation. Treatment of $0.1-10{\mu}m$ OA, OAA, and OAM increased cellular proliferation, but not significantly increased as compared with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). OA, OAA, and OAM at 5uM concentration enhanced ALP expression, mineralization, and osteocalcin (OCN) mRNA level. In conclusion, OA and its derivatives stimulated the osteoblast differentiation by increasing ALP, mineralization, and OCN mRNA expression. However, there were no significantly difference on osteoblast differentiation among treatment of OA, OAA, and OAM.