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Background and Objectives : Stem cell-based regeneration strategies have shown therapeutic efficacy in various fields of regenerative medicine. These include bone healing after bone augmentation, often complicated by pain, which is managed by using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, information is limited about how NSAIDs affect the therapeutic potential of stem cells. Materials and Methods : We investigated the effects of ibuprofen and diclofenac on the characteristics, morphology, and immunophenotype of human mesenchymal stromal cells isolated from the dental pulp ( DPSCs ) and cultured in vitro, as well as their effects on the expression of angiogenic growth factors ( VEGFA and HGF ) and selected genes in apoptosis signalling pathways ( BAX , BAK , CASP3 , CASP9 , and BCL 2). Results : Ibuprofen and diclofenac significantly reduced the viability of DPSCs, while the expression of mesenchymal stem cell surface markers was unaffected. Both ibuprofen and diclofenac treatment significantly upregulated the expression of HGF , while the expression of VEGFA remained unchanged. Ibuprofen significantly altered the expression of several apoptosis-related genes, including the upregulation of CASP9 and BCL2 , with decreased CASP3 expression. BAK, CASP3, CASP9, and BCL2 expressions were significantly increased in the diclofenac-treated DPSCs, while no difference was demonstrated in BAX expression. Conclusions : Our results suggest that concomitant use of the NSAIDs ibuprofen or diclofenac with stem cell therapy may negatively impact cell viability and alter the expression of apoptosis-related genes, affecting the efficacy of stem cell therapy.

Cell therapy represents an innovative approach in treatment for many injuries. Stem cells can also be applied in dental treatment to regenerate bone tissue in the craniofacial region. It has been shown that vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) play an important role in this type of regeneration. However, due to complications such as pain, it is necessary to study the effect of pharmacotherapy used because of its potential influence on applied stem cells and subsequently molecular regenerative processes. The main goal of this work was to evaluate the effect of ibuprofen on human dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) in vitro and to identify relative mRNA expression levels of growth factors, VEGFA and HGF. DPSC in ninth passage was incubated with 300 µM ibuprofen for 24, 48, and 72 hr. Total RNA was extracted using phenol-chloroform extraction. The relative mRNA expression levels of VEGFA and HGF were measured by RT-qPCR method. Our preliminary data showed a significant increase in relative mRNA expression levels of VEGFA and HGF after influence of DPSC by ibuprofen at all time intervals. This suggests that the possible use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in parallel with cell therapy could be beneficial, but to confirm this phenomenon further research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]