Abstract
Stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP) possess clear osteo‑/odontogenic differentiation capabilities, and are regarded as the major cellular source for root dentin development. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) serve pivotal roles in the modulation of tooth development and dentin formation. However, the synergistic effects of BMP2 and VEGF on osteo‑/odontogenic differentiation of SCAP remain unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the proliferative and osteo‑/odontogenic differentiating capabilities of BMP2 and VEGF gene-co-transfected SCAP (SCAP-BMP2-VEGF) in vitro. The basic characteristics of the isolated SCAP were identified by the induction of multipotent differentiation and by flow cytometry. Lentiviral vector‑mediated gene transfection was conducted with SCAP in order to construct blank vector‑transfected SCAP (SCAP-green fluorescent protein), BMP2 gene-transfected SCAP (SCAP-BMP2), VEGF gene‑transfected SCAP (SCAP‑VEGF) and SCAP-BMP2-VEGF. The Cell Counting Kit 8 assay was used to analyze the proliferative capacities of the four groups of cells. The expression of osteo-/odontogenic genes and proteins in the cells were evaluated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The mineralized nodules formed by the four group cells were visualized by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining. Among the four groups of cells, SCAP‑VEGF was demonstrated to exhibit increased proliferation, and SCAP‑BMP2‑VEGF exhibited reduced proliferation during eight days observation. SCAP‑BMP2‑VEGF exhibited significantly increased expression levels of ALP, osteocalcin, dentin sialophosphoprotein, dentin matrix acidic phosphoprotein gene 1 and dentin sialoprotein than the other three groups at the majority of the time points. Furthermore, the SCAP‑BMP2‑VEGF group exhibited a significantly greater number of ALP‑positive mineralized nodules than the other groups following 16 days culture in vitro. In conclusion, lentiviral vector-mediated BMP2 and VEGF gene co-transfection significantly activated the osteo‑/odontogenic differentiation of human SCAP.