Chitosan Nanogels Enriched With Granulocyte–Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Growth Factor Promote Odontoblastic Differentiation in Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells in Vitro Publisher Pubmed



B Asheghi BAHAR ; K Asadi KHATEREH ; A Gholami AHMAD ; M Enteghad MARYAM ; Ss Sadeghi Seyedeh SABA ; N Firouzi NEGIN
Source: BMC Oral Health Published:2025

Abstract

Nanomaterials and regeneration-inducing microenvironments are key components of innovative regenerative endodontic treatment (RET). This study aimed to assess the odontogenic potential of granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating growth factor (GM-CSF) loaded chitosan nanogels (CNgs) on dental pulp stem cell (DPSCs) culture. GM-CSF/CNgs were prepared through the ionic gelation method and then characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–visible spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential devices. Acridine orange (AO) and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) were used to evaluate cellular morphology and viability. The odontogenic and osteogenic differentiation was determined by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The physicochemical characterization confirmed that the GM-CSF/CNgs were prepared. The loading efficiency was 82.9 ± 2. Significant biocompatibility and no apparent nuclear fragmentation upon exposure to GM-CSF/CNgs and CNgs were observed. Quantifying the expression of dental pulp regeneration associated with genes including osteocalcin gene (OCN), dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), and dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) between GM-CSF/CNgs and control groups was significant (p < 0.001). Morphology of DPSCs in contact with GM-CSF/CsNgs demonstrated odontogenic differentiation. GM-CSF/CNgs promoted a bioinspired drug delivery system (DDS) and induced dental pulp regeneration of DPSCs. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.