Effect of β-alanyl- L-histidinato zinc on the differentiation pathway of human periodontal ligament cells

Abstract

We examined the effect of β-alanyl-L-histidinato zinc (AHZ) on the differentiation of human periodontal ligament (HPDL) cells. HPDL cells were cultured with α-minimum essential medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum with or without 10 −4 or 10 −5 M AHZ for up to 10 days. The expression of runt-related transcription factor-2/core binding factor α-1 (RUNX2/Cbfa1), Sox9, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), and BMP receptors was measured using semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions. Phosphorylation of Smad1 was determined using a Western blot analysis. RUNX2/Cbfa1 expression increased markedly in cells cultured with AHZ, while Sox9 expression increased slightly. BMP-7 expression was much higher than that of controls in cultures with AHZ, whereas BMP-2 expression was only slightly higher. The expression of BMP receptors increased markedly in cells cultured with AHZ. The phosphorylation of Smad1, a signal-transducing molecule for BMP-2 and BMP-7, was increased markedly in cultures with AHZ. The results suggest that AHZ diverts the differentiation pathway of HPDL cells to the osteoblast lineage via BMP-2 or BMP-7.