Expression of BMP-2 in Transfected Dental Pulp Cells

Objective: It has been reported that the progenitor pulp cells are responsible to regenerate dentin in response to noxious stimuli, such as caries and associated operative procedures. However, the potential of dental pulp regeneration seems to be limited by regenerative capacity of the cells involved. In this study, we examined the effect of transfection of a recombinant plasmid containing human BMP-2 gene (pBMP-2) in proliferation and differentiation of human dental pulp tissue in vitro. Methods: The regenerative capacity of the transfected dental pulp cells was analyzed by alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) production and calcium content. Results: After 2 weeks of culture, the concentration of ALPase in culture medium of the transfected dental pulp cells was higher than those of experimental control (p<0.05). Our data also demonstrated that the transfection of pBMP-2 into human dental pulp cells significantly increased the number of mineralized nodules on cultured cells, as determined by von Kossa staining. Conclusion: It was shown that in vitro odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells was induced after being transfected with human BMP-2 gene, indicating the presence of odontoblast progentitor cells in dental pulp tissue.