Amino acid-based supramolecular chiral hydrogels promote osteogenesis of human dental pulp stem cells via the MAPK pathway

Peilun Li; Qiaoqiao Jin; Kangrui Zeng; Chenguang Niu; Qianyang Xie; Ting Dong; Zhengwei Huang; Xiaoqiu Dou; Chuanliang Feng

Materials Today Bio (Apr 2024)

Amino acid-based supramolecular chiral hydrogels promote osteogenesis of human dental pulp stem cells via the MAPK pathway

Peilun Li,
Qiaoqiao Jin,
Kangrui Zeng,
Chenguang Niu,
Qianyang Xie,
Ting Dong,
Zhengwei Huang,
Xiaoqiu Dou,
Chuanliang Feng

Affiliations

Peilun Li: Department of Endodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China
Qiaoqiao Jin: Department of Endodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China
Kangrui Zeng: Department of Endodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China
Chenguang Niu: Department of Endodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China
Qianyang Xie: Department of Oral Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China
Ting Dong: Department of Endodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China
Zhengwei Huang: Department of Endodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China; Corresponding author. 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China.
Xiaoqiu Dou: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Corresponding author. 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200230, China.
Chuanliang Feng: State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Corresponding author. 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200230, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 25
p. 100971

Abstract

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Critical-size defects (CSDs) of the craniofacial bones cause aesthetic and functional complications that seriously impact the quality of life. The transplantation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) is a promising strategy for bone tissue engineering. Chirality is commonly observed in natural biomolecules, yet its effect on stem cell differentiation is seldom studied, and little is known about the underlying mechanism. In this study, supramolecular chiral hydrogels were constructed using L/d-phenylalanine (L/D-Phe) derivatives. The results of alkaline phosphatase expression analysis, alizarin red S assay, as well as quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses suggest that right-handed D-Phe hydrogel fibers significantly promoted osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs. A rat model of calvarial defects was created to investigate the regulation of chiral nanofibers on the osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs in vivo. The results of the animal experiment demonstrated that the D-Phe group exhibited greater and faster bone formation on hDPSCs. The results of RNA sequencing, vinculin immunofluorescence staining, a calcium fluorescence probe assay, and western blot analysis indicated that L-Phe significantly promoted adhesion of hDPSCs, while D-Phe nanofibers enhanced osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs by facilitating calcium entry into cells and activate the MAPK pathway. These results of chirality-dependent osteogenic differentiation offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CSDs by optimising the differentiation of hDPSCs into chiral nanofibers.

Published in Materials Today Bio

ISSN: 2590-0064 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General); Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/materials-today-bio

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