Influence of vitexin on the expression of inflammatory cytokines in dental pulp stem cells induced by lipopolysaccharide

Purpose To investigate the effect of vitexin (VTX) on the expression of inflammatory cytokines in human dental pulp stem cells(hDPSCs) induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS), and to explore the underlying mechanism. Methods hDPSCs were isolated and cultured, and CCK-8 method was used to detect the effect of VTX on proliferation of hDPSCs. hDPSCs were randomly divided into 4 groups: blank group (without LPS and VTX)，LPS group (2 μg/mL LPS)，2 μg/mL LPS + 25 μmol/L VTX，2 μg/mL LPS + 50 μmol/L VTX. The cells of all groups were cultured for 48 h. The gene levels of IL-1β， IL-6 and IL-8 in hDPSCs were detected by real time qPCR(RT-qPCR). The change of COX-2 and MAPKs signaling pathways were detected by Western blot. SPSS 16.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. Results When the VTX concentration was less than 200 μmol/L, the cell viability was not affected(P>0.05). VTX at 25 and 50 μmol/L significantly reduced LPS-induced expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 at gene levels and COX-2 at protein level (P Conclusions VTX significantly inhibited the activation of ERK and p38 signaling pathway. VTX can reduce LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine expression in hDPSCs via restraining the activation of ERK and p38 signaling pathway.