Fibrin-konjac glucomannan-black phosphorus hydrogel scaffolds loaded with nasal ectodermal mesenchymal stem cells accelerated alveolar bone regeneration

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Yin Zou, Xue Mei, Xinhe Wang, Xuan Zhang, Xun Wang, Wen Xiang

Wuxi Children’s Hospital, China

: Dent Health Curr Res

Abstract

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Background Effective treatments for the alveolar bone defect remain a major concern in dental therapy. The objectives of this study were to develop a fibrin and konjac glucomannan (KGM) composite hydrogel as scaffolds for the osteogenesis of nasal mucosa-derived ectodermal mesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) for the regeneration of alveolar bone defect, and to investigate the osteogenesis-accelerating effects of black phosphorus nanoparticles (BPNs) embedded in the hydrogels. Methods: Primary EMSCs were isolated from rat nasal mucosa and used for the alveolar bone recovery. Fibrin and KGM were prepared in different ratios for osteomimetic hydrogel scaffolds, and the optimal ratio was determined by mechanical properties and biocompatibility analysis. Then, the optimal hydrogels were integrated with BPNs to obtain BPNs/fibrin-KGM hydrogel s, and the effects on osteogenic EMSCs in vitro were evaluated. To explore the osteogenesis-enhancing effects of hydrogels in vivo, the BPNs/fibrin-KGM scaffolds combined with EMSCs were implanted to a rat model of alveolar bone defect. Micro-computed tomography (CT), histological examination, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot were conducted to evaluate the bone morphology and expression of osteo- genesisrelated genes of the bone regeneration. Results: The addition of KGM improved the mechanical properties and biodegradation characteristics of the fibrin hydrogels. In vitro, the BPNs- containing compound hydrogel was proved to be biocompatible and capable of enhancing the osteogenesis of EMSCs by upregulating the mineralization and the activity of alkaline phosphatase. In vivo, the micro-CT analysis and histological evaluation demonstrated that rats implanted EMSCsBPNs/fibrin-KGM hydrogels exhibited the best bone reconstruction. And compared to the model group, the expression of osteogenesis genes including osteopontin (Opn, p < 0.000 1), osteocalcin (Ocn, p 0.000 1), type collagen (Col , p < 0.000 1), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (Bmp 2, p < 0.000 1), Smad 1 (p - 0.0006), and runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx2, p < 0.000 1) were all significantly upregulated. Conclusions: EMSCs/BPNs-containing fibrin-KGM hydrogels accelerated the recovery of the alveolar bone defect in rats by effectively up-regulating the expression of osteogenesis-related genes, promoting the formation and mineralisation of bone matrix.

Biography

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Ms. Yin Zou, MDS, graduated from Nanjing Medical University in 2012, has been working at Wuxi Childrenâ??s Hospital for over ten years. She has also undergone a one-year advanced training at the Ninth Peopleâ??s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Her main professional focus is on orthodontics and pediatric dentistry, and she collaborates with Jiangnan University on research into the functional regulation of stem cells.