Osteogenic effects of osteogenic growth peptide on human periodontal ligament stem cells

Abstract

With the current global health burden of osteoporosis and periodontitis, an effective treatment is looked for to treat the bone resorption effect. Osteogenic growth peptide (OGP) is a short peptide that is known able to increase osteogenesis. The objective of this study is to investigate thoroughly the osteogenic effect of OGP on human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs). This study found that low-dose OGP can increase the proliferation without cytotoxic effect. Enhanced osteogenic differentiation potential was also found at low concentration of OGP. Several signaling pathways, including bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Hedgehog, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), and Wnt, are regulated by OGP to regulate osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs. OGP was also found partially regulating TGF-β signaling pathway toward osteogenic lineage of hPDLSCs. Collectively, low-dose OGP has osteogenic differentiation potential on hPDLSCs by regulating TGF-β signaling pathway. Thus, OGP is potent candidate to treat osteoporosis and/or periodontitis.