The role of APOD in the proliferation and migration of human dental pulp cells

Objective To explore the role of apoliprotein D (APOD) in the proliferation and migration of human dental pulp cells (DPCs) and to provide a basis for the use of APOD to promote pulp regeneration. Methods APOD ex⁃ pression in human dental pulp cells was inhibited by siRNA. The inhibition effect of APOD was confirmed by qPCR and Western blot. After APOD inhibition, colony formation experiments and CCK8 assays were employed to confirm the proliferation ability of dental pulp cells. Transwell assays were used to verify the cell migration ability after the inhibi⁃ tion of APOD expression. Results After inhibiting APOD expression, the colony formation rate in the si⁃apod group was reduced compared with the NC group, and the difference was statistically significant (t＝7.624, P＝0.002). The CCK8 experiment showed that the OD value in the si⁃apod group decreased at 3, 5 and 7 d compared with that in the NC group (P < 0.05). Transwell results showed that the number of cell divisions was 57.25 ± 4.03 in the si⁃apod group and 154.50 ± 8.39 in the NC group, and the difference was statistically significant (t＝10.45, P < 0.001). Conclusion Inhibition of APOD expression in dental pulp cells inhibits their proliferation and migration ability.