Abstract
Functional reconstruction of bone defects represents a clinical challenge in the regenerative medicine field, which targets tissue repair following traumatic injuries and disease-related bone deficiencies. In this regard, the optimal biomaterial should be safe, biocompatible and tailored in order to promote the activation of host progenitor cells towards bone repair. Bioactive glasses might be suitable biomaterials due to their composition being able to induce the host healing response and, eventually, anti-bacterial properties. In this study we investigated whether and how an innovative bioactive glass composition, called BGMS10, may affect cell adhesion, morphology, proliferation, immunomodulation and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). When cultured on BGMS10, hDPSCs maintained their proliferation rate and typical fibroblast-like morphology, showing the expression of stemness markers STRO-1 and c-Kit. Moreover, the expression of FasL, a key molecule in mediating immunomodulation effects of hDPSCs, was maintained. BGMS10 also proved to trigger osteogenic commitment of hDPSCs, as confirmed by the activation of bone-related transcription factors RUNX2 and Osx and the ongoing deposition of extracellular matrix supported by the expression of OPN and OCN. Our findings suggest that BGMS10 not only maintains the typical biological and immunomodulatory properties of hDPSCs but also favors the osteogenic commitment.
Highlights
Biomaterials have been widely used to repair or replace structural parts of the human body [1,2,3,4]
Even if BGMS10 has an ultra-high crystallisation temperature (932 ◦ C) as previously reported [11], it is possible to sinter it at relatively low temperatures, i.e., 737 ◦ C
Bioactive glasses can be advantageously employed for their favourable combination of properties
Summary
Biomaterials (i.e., ceramics, glasses, metals, polymers, composites) have been widely used to repair or replace structural parts of the human body [1,2,3,4]. Biomaterials should be biocompatible, intrinsically non-toxic, non-allergenic and non-carcinogenic. Based on their response in the host, biomaterials can be classified as first, second and third generation. Materials 2020, 13, 4049 third generation, which promote a specific cellular response at molecular level [7]. Such systems are designed to gradually degrade and to be replaced by living host tissues. Bioactive glasses show the capability to stimulate cells towards a path of regeneration and self-repair, being suitable for both bone and tissue reconstruction and repair. Bioactive glasses can be classified as silicate, phosphate, and borate [8,9]
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