Methods: Mouse Dental Papilla Cells-23 (MDPC-23) was used in this study. The cells were cultured with DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS containing DPP at different concentrations (0, 0.1, 1, and 10 µg/ml). The cell-morphology and proliferation were evaluated. Furthermore, cells were analyzed for mRNA expression of dentinogenesis-related proteins by RT-PCR. Moreover, ALPase activity and Alizarin red staining were performed for confirmation of mineralization induced by DPP.
Results: The addition of DPP did not affect on proliferation or morphology. The mRNA expressions of DMP-1, OCN and BSP in MDPC-23 were promoted by 1 and 10 µg/ml of DPP at 3 days. The high ALPase activity in MDPC-23 was induced by 1 and 10 µg/ml of DPP at 3 days. The number of mineralized nodules was higher by addition of l and 10 µg/ml of DPP at 5 days. Therefore, it is suggested that DPP promotes the differentiation and mineralization of odontoblasts.
Conclusions: The findings suggested that DPP promotes the differentiation and mineralization of odontoblasts in vitro.