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Periodontitis develops as a result of a continuous interaction between host cells and subgingival pathogenic bacteria. The periodontium has a limited capacity for regeneration, probably due to changes in periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) phenotype. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of lipopolysaccharides from Porphyromonas gingivalis (PgLPS) on mesenchymal phenotype and osteoblast/cementoblast (O/C) potential of PDLSCs. PDLSCs were assessed for Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) expression by immunostaining technique. After, cells were exposed to PgLPS, and the following assays were carried out: (i) cell metabolic activity using MTS; (ii) gene expression for IL-1β, TNF-α and OCT-4 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR); (iii) flow cytometry for STRO-1 and CD105, and (iv) osteogenic differentiation. PDLSCs were positive for TLR2. PgLPS promoted cell proliferation, produced IL-1β and TNF-α, and did not affect the expression of stem cell markers, STRO-1, CD105 and OCT-4. Under osteogenic condition, PDLSCs exposed to PgLPS showed a similar potential to differentiate toward osteoblast/cementoblast phenotype compared to control group as revealed by mineralized matrix deposition and levels of transcripts for RUNX2, ALP and OCN. These results provide evidence that PgLPS induces pro-inflammatory cytokines, but does not change the mesenchymal phenotype and osteoblast/cementoblast differentiation potential of PDLSCs.

Unlabelled: Periodontal ligament mesenchymal stem cells (PDLMSCs) are an important alternative source of adult stem cells and may be applied for periodontal tissue regeneration, neuroregenerative medicine, and heart valve tissue engineering. However, little is known about the impact of bacterial toxins on the biological properties of PDLSMSCs, including self-renewal, differentiation, and synthesis of extracellular matrix., Objective: This study investigated whether proliferation, expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and osteogenic differentiation of CD105-enriched PDL progenitor cell populations (PDL-CD105(+) cells) would be affected by exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli (EcLPS)., Material and Methods: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression was assessed in PDL-CD105(+) cells by the immunostaining technique and confirmed using Western blotting assay. Afterwards, these cells were exposed to EcLPS, and the following assays were carried out: (i) cell viability using MTS; (ii) expression of the interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) genes; (iii) osteoblast differentiation assessed by mineralization in vitro, and by mRNA levels of run-related transcription factor-2 (RUNX2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OCN) determined by quantitative PCR., Results: PDL-CD105+ cells were identified as positive for TLR4. EcLPS did not affect cell viability, but induced a significant increase of transcripts for IL-6 and IL-8. Under osteogenic condition, PDL-CD105+ cells exposed to EcLPS presented an increase of mineralized matrix deposition and higher RUNX2 and ALP mRNA levels when compared to the control group., Conclusions: These results provide evidence that CD105-enriched PDL progenitor cells are able to adapt to continuous Escherichia coli endotoxin challenge, leading to an upregulation of osteogenic activities.

PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene encoding a phosphatase, and it negatively regulates cell survival mediated by the phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3-Kinase)-Akt pathway. To elucidate PTEN expression and its effect on the PI3-kinase-Akt pathway in fibroblasts and macrophages, we investigated the expression of PTEN and the phosphorylation status of Akt in NIH3T3 and RAW264.7 cells treated with LPS. Phosphorylation of Akt was induced by LPS treatment in a dose-dependent manner in RAW264.7 cells, but not in NIH3T3 cells. LPS induced the expression of PTEN in a dose and time-dependent manner in NIH3T3 cells (0-1 microg/ml, 0-6h). However, LPS did not stimulate PTEN expression in RAW264.7 cells. These data indicate the existence of diverse mechanisms for PTEN expression and Akt activation in fibroblasts and macrophages. RNA interference using double-stranded RNA specific for the PTEN gene reduced both mRNA and protein levels of PTEN in NIH3T3 cells treated or not with LPS. The phosphorylation status of Akt in NIH3T3 cells stimulated with LPS did not change when the PTEN expression had been inhibited by RNA interference. The present results suggest that the up-regulation of PTEN expression by LPS is not involved in the activation of Akt in NIH3T3 cells. PTEN expression might be involved in the diverse inflammatory responses to LPS in fibroblasts and macrophages.