SMALL MOLECULES IN OSTEOGENIC DIFFERENTIATION

Resnick Auditorium

Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate the osteogenic potential of curcumin induced human gingiva derived mesenchymal stem cells (HGMSCs) Background. Mesenchymal stem cells have multilineage potential thus being an attractive source in regenerative medicine. Stem cell differentiation and modulation of functional activities are generally modulated by growth factors and small regulatory molecules. Dexamethasone (Dex) and curcumin are such well-known small molecules. While Dex is a traditional osteogenic inducer, the role of curcumin in inducing osteogenic differentiation needs to be determined. It has been proved that curcumin has anti-inflammatory property and inhibits osteoclastic activity. Methods. The HGMSCs obtained from human gingival tissue were cultured under standard culture conditions. Cells were treated with curcumin (2, 5 and 10uM) for 2 days, and then transferred to osteogenic medium. Cells in medium devoid of curcumin was used as control. Osteogenesis was assessed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) gene expression and the ALP enzyme activity was measured by pNPP assay. Results. Compared to controls, curcumin enhanced ALP gene expression in a dose dependent manner. A significant increase in ALP activity was observed on day 7 and 14. The upregulation was comparable with Dex treated cells. Conclusion. The results of this study suggested that curcumin induces osteogenic differentiation of HGMSCs. Grants. NSU-HPD Grant.