ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There has been an urge to shift from conventional therapies to the more promising regenerative strategy since conventional treatment relies on synthetic materials to fill defects and replace missing tissues, lacking the ability to restore the tissues' physiological architecture and function. AIM: The present study focused on the assessment of the role of two commonly used biomaterials namely; mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and nano hydroxy-apatite as promoters of odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). METHODS: DPSCs were isolated, cultured in odontogenic media and divided into three groups; control group, MTA group and nanohydroxyapatite group. Odontogenic differentiation was assessed by tracing genes characteristic of different stages of odontoblasts via qRT-PCR. Calcific nodules formation was evaluated by Alizarin red staining. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that both MTA and nanohydroxyapatite were capable of enhancing odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs. CONCLUSION: Nano hydroxyapatite was found to have a higher promoting effect. However, in the absence of an odontogenic medium, MTA and nanohydroxyapatite could not enhance the odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs.
