International Journal of Nanomedicine (Jan 2021)

Gold Nanoparticles Promote the Bone Regeneration of Periodontal Ligament Stem Cell Sheets Through Activation of Autophagy

  • Zhang Y,
  • Wang P,
  • Wang Y,
  • Li J,
  • Qiao D,
  • Chen R,
  • Yang W,
  • Yan F

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 61 – 73

Abstract

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Yangheng Zhang,1,* Peng Wang,2,* Yuxian Wang,3,* Jiao Li,4 Dan Qiao,1 Rixin Chen,1 Wenrong Yang,5 Fuhua Yan1 1Department of Periodontology, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Sports Medicine and Adult Reconstructive Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Orthodontics, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 5School of Life and Environmental Science, Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Fuhua YanNanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 25 8362 0253Fax +86 25 8362 0202Email [email protected]: Cell sheet technology (CST) is advantageous for repairing alveolar bone defects in clinical situations, and osteogenic induction before implantation may result in enhanced bone regeneration. Herein, we observed the effect of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cell (PDLSC) sheets and explored their potential mechanism of action.Methods: PDLSCs were cultured in cell sheet induction medium to obtain cell sheets. PDLSC sheets were treated with or without AuNPs. Alkaline phosphatase, alizarin red S, von Kossa, and immunofluorescence staining were used to observe the effects of AuNPs on the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSC sheets. Western blotting was performed to evaluate the osteogenic effects and autophagy activity. The cell sheets were transplanted into the dorsa of nude mice, and bone regeneration was analyzed by micro-CT and histological staining.Results: AuNPs could promote the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSC sheets by upregulating bone-related protein expression and mineralization. The 45-nm AuNPs were more effective than 13-nm AuNPs. Additional analysis demonstrated that their ability to promote differentiation could depend on activation of the autophagy pathway through upregulation of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 and downregulation of sequestosome 1/p62. Furthermore, AuNPs significantly promoted the bone regeneration of PDLSC sheets in ectopic models.Conclusion: AuNPs enhance the osteogenesis of PDLSC sheets by activating autophagy, and 45-nm AuNPs were more effective than 13-nm AuNPs. This study may provide an AuNP-based pretreatment strategy for improving the application of CST in bone repair and regeneration.Keywords: gold nanoparticles, cell sheet technology, bone regeneration, autophagy

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