Methods: Poly-CaP was prepared by sintering HAp at 1350°C in a vacuum for 10 hours. MDPC-23 cells were seeded onto the Poly-CaP or control HAp disc, placed in 48-well culture plates, at 1.0x104 cells/well. After culturing for 1 or 3 days at 37°C and 5% CO2, MTT assay was carried out to examine proliferation. Differentiation of the cells was evaluated by determining alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity after 1, 3, 7, or 14 days of culture. The results were analyzed by ANOVA and Fisher's PLSD tests at p < 0.05 level.
Results: MDPC-23 cells demonstrated significantly greater proliferation on Poly-CaP compared with HAp after 1 day of culture. Significantly higher ALP activity was observed for the cells cultured on Poly-CaP than HAp throughout 1 - 14 days.
Conclusion: Poly-CaP was found to promotes proliferation and differentiation of odontblast-like cells, suggesting that activation of odontoblasts is involved in its effectiveness to induce hard tissue formation.
Supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 19209060, 21890134, 21592419) from the JSPS.