Exosomes Derived from Stem Cells from the Apical Papilla Promote Dentine-Pulp Complex Regeneration by Inducing Specific Dentinogenesis

Xueying Zhuang; Lingli Ji; Huan Jiang; Yao Liu; Xuemei Liu; Jing Bi; Weidong Zhao; Zhenjiang Ding; Xu Chen

doi:10.1155/2020/5816723

Exosomes Derived from Stem Cells from the Apical Papilla Promote Dentine-Pulp Complex Regeneration by Inducing Specific Dentinogenesis

Stem Cells Int. 2020 May 27:2020:5816723. doi: 10.1155/2020/5816723. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Xueying Zhuang^{1

2}, Lingli Ji^{1

2}, Huan Jiang^{1

2}, Yao Liu^{1

2}, Xuemei Liu^{1

2}, Jing Bi^{1

2}, Weidong Zhao³, Zhenjiang Ding^{1

2}, Xu Chen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Shenyang 110002, China.
² Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Shenyang 110002, China.
³ Department of Developmental Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China.

Abstract

Regenerative endodontic procedures (REPs) are a new option for the treatment of dental pulp or periapical diseases in permanent teeth with open apices. Histologically, the new tissues formed in the root canal after REPs are mainly cementum- or bone-like mineralised tissues, but not the real dentine-pulp complex. Therefore, how to promote dentine-pulp complex regeneration and improve the clinical effects of REPs has become a prominent research topic. Stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP) are derived from the dental papilla that can differentiate into primary odontoblasts and dental pulp cells that produce root dentine and dental pulp. Exosomes are the key regulator for the paracrine activity of stem cells and can influence the function of recipient cells. In this study, SCAP-derived exosomes (SCAP-Exo) were introduced into the root fragment containing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and transplanted subcutaneously into immunodeficient mice. We observed that dental pulp-like tissues were present and the newly formed dentine was deposited onto the existing dentine in the root canal. Afterwards, the effects of SCAP-Exo on the dentinogenesis of BMMSCs were elucidated in vitro. We found that the gene and protein expression of dentine sialophosphoprotein and mineralised nodule formation in BMMSCs treated with SCAP-Exo were significantly increased. In summary, SCAP-Exo were endocytosed by BMMSCs and obviously improved their specific dentinogenesis. The use of exosomes derived from dental stem cells could comprise a potential therapeutic approach for dentine-pulp complex regeneration in REPs.