The effect of calcitriol and curcumin on the differentiation of dental pulp stem cells

Abstract

Introduction: Tissue engineering and regenerative therapies are in progress in the treatment of dental problems, especially endodontics tratments. Induction of mineralization in dental pulp stem cells is of special importance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcitriol and curcumin on differentiation of DPSCs by alkaline phosphatase gene expression and activation assessment. Materials and Methods: In this study was assessed the toxicity levels of different concentrations of curcumin and calcitriol in 1, 2, 3 and 7 days by MTT assay. Alkaline phosphatase gene expression was determinded by Real Time-PCR and a specific kit was used to determine the alkaline phosphatase activity. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software version 17. Statistical significance was determined using t-test and ANOVA.

Results: The results of the present study showed that calcitriol had no toxic effect on dental pulp cells at most concentrations and test times and curcumin did not show toxicity at low concentrations (0.5 and 1 µM). Also, gene expression and alkaline phosphatase activity in cells treated with curcumin and calcitriol for 7 days showed a significant increase compared to the control group (p <0.05).

Conclusion: Considering the positive effects of curcumin and calcitriol on dental pulp stem cell differentiation and induction of alkaline phosphatase, these substances can be an intervention modality in bone and dental tissue engineering.