Odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells induced by silicate-based bioceramics via activation of P38/MEPE pathway

To investigate whether silicate-based bioceramics have an odontogenic function, researchers mainly study the odontogenic differentiation potential of human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) cultured with the silicate-based Ca7Si2P2O16 (CSP) bioceramic extracts and the underlying mechanism. Firstly, the effects of CSP extracts on proliferation and odontogenic differentiation of hDPCs were studied. The dentine-related protein expression stimulated by CSP extracts was investigated and the influence of P38/MEPE pathway in this process was further explored. The results showed that CSP bioceramics not only presented good cytocompatibility with hDPCs, but also promoted the odontogenic gene and protein expression (DSPP, DMP1, OPN and RUNX2) of hDPCs. Western blot results further indicated that the possible mechanism might be related to the activation of P38/MEPE pathway. In summary, our findings suggest that CSP bioceramics can induce the odontogenic differentiation of hDPCs, offering essential evidence for the potential application of silicate-based bioceramics as pulp capping materials or additives.