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Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Differentiation of Functional Osteoclasts from Human Peripheral Blood CD14+ Monocytes
Published on: January 27, 2023
Enterococcus faecalis promotes osteoclast differentiation within an osteoblast/osteoclast co-culture system
Zuhui Deng1,2, Shuai Wang1, Boon Chin Heng1
1Endodontics, Comprehensive Dental Care, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China.
Objective:
To investigate the effects of heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 and P25RC clinical strain (derived from an obturated root canal with apical periodontitis) on osteoclast differentiation within an osteoblast/osteoclast co-culture system.
Results:
Heat-killed E. faecalis significantly increased the proportion of multinucleated osteoclastic cells (MNCs) within the co-culture system. The IL-6 level was significantly increased upon exposure to heat-killed E. faecalis. Gene expression levels of NFATc1 and cathepsin K were significantly up-regulated compared to the untreated control. EphrinB2 and EphB4 expressions at both the mRNA and protein levels were also significantly upregulated compared to the untreated control.
Conclusions:
Heat-killed E. faecalis can induce osteoclast differentiation within the osteoblast/osteoclast co-culture system in vitro, possibly through ephrinB2-EphB4 bidirectional signaling.
