Dentin Regeneration by Dental Pulp Stem Cell Therapy with Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2

TLDR

Regenerative medicine relies on stem cells, signaling molecules, and scaffolds, and dental pulp stem cells can regenerate dentin in response to injury, making stem cell therapy a promising approach for dentin repair. The authors cultured porcine pulp cells as 3‑D pellets, which enhanced odontoblast differentiation compared to monolayers, and then transplanted BMP2‑treated pellets into dog pulps to stimulate reparative dentin formation. BMP2 treatment induced odontoblast differentiation, evidenced by Dspp and MMP20 expression, and its autogenous pellet transplantation in dogs promoted reparative dentin formation, demonstrating BMP2’s capacity to direct pulp progenitor cells into odontoblasts and generate dentin.

Abstract

Regenerative medicine is based on stem cells, signals, and scaffolds. Dental pulp tissue has the potential to regenerate dentin in response to noxious stimuli, such as caries. The progenitor/stem cells are responsible for this regeneration. Thus, stem cell therapy has considerable promise in dentin regeneration. Culture of porcine pulp cells, as a three-dimensional pellet, promoted odontoblast differentiation compared with monolayers. The expression of dentin sialophosphoprotein (Dspp) and enamelysin/matrix metalloproteinase 20 (MMP20) mRNA confirmed the differentiation of pulp cells into odontoblasts and was stimulated by the morphogenetic signal, bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2). Based on the in vitro experiments, an in vivo evaluation of pulp progenitor/stem cells in the dog was performed. The autogenous transplantation of the BMP2-treated pellet culture onto the amputated pulp stimulated reparative dentin formation. In conclusion, BMP2 can direct pulp progenitor/stem cell differentiation into odontoblasts and result in dentin formation.