Abstract
The pulpotomy with pulp capping is aimed at retaining vital pulp with reparative dentin formation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in dentin regeneration; however, its constant administrations in the human body is still problematic. Chitosan was widely studied as an effective carrier to deliver bioactive molecules in regenerative medicine. In this study, we conducted a chitosan/β-glycerophosphate (CS/β-GP) hydrogel as a VEGF-sustained release system and explored its effects on dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). CS/β-GP hydrogel was manufactured using a sol-gel method. SEM assay showed the spongy and porous microstructure of the lyophilized hydrogels. DPSCs cultured in the CS/β-GP hydrogel kept adhesion and vitality. CCK-8 assay tested the promoted proliferation activity of DPSCs on the hydrogel. Besides, the added VEGF protein could continually release from VEGF/CS/β-GP hydrogel. The VEGF/CS/β-GP hydrogel could promote the odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs better than VEGF treatment without hydrogel. Our results suggested that CS/β-GP hydrogel could continually release VEGF and contribute to odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs, thus may become a potential carrier of bioactive molecules in pulp capping therapy.
Highlights
The dental pulpotomy is a kind of dental therapy to retain the vital pulp in accidental pulp exposure caused by trauma or caries removal
The infected coronal pulp is amputated, and the surface of remaining vital pulp is treated with a sealant, such as calcium hydroxide or mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) [1]
Human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were harvested from normal impacted third molars extracted from donors (19–22 years old) in West China Hospital of Stomatology and cultured as previously described [34]
Summary
The dental pulpotomy is a kind of dental therapy to retain the vital pulp in accidental pulp exposure caused by trauma or caries removal. The infected coronal pulp is amputated, and the surface of remaining vital pulp is treated with a sealant, such as calcium hydroxide or mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) [1]. These sealants, called pulp capping agents, can promote the recruitment, migration, proliferation, and differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) [2]. The dentin matrix secreted by odontoblast-like cells is laid down on the surface of amputated pulp. The dentin bridge or osteodentin is formed to save the vitality of residual pulp [2]
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