Rosuvastatin Regulates Odontoblast Differentiation by Suppressing NF-κB Activation in an Inflammatory Environment

Rosuvastatin is a synthetic statin of 3-hydroxy-methyl-3-glutamyl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor. It has pleiotropic characteristics including hepatic selectivity, minimal metabolism, inhibition of inflammation, and induction of osteoblast differentiation. In this study, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were treated with lipopolysaccharide alone or with rosuvastatin. Then, we examined the accelerative effects of rosuvastatin on odontoblast differentiation and mineralized nodule formation by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot, alizarin red S staining, and alkaline phosphatase staining. The extent of anti-inflammation was determined by RT-PCR and analysis of the expression of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and IL-6. Furthermore, the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) was determined by western blot. This study demonstrates that rosuvastatin may speed up odontoblast differentiation and rescue inflammatory reaction by suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway. It is believed that our findings provide novel perceptions on odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs.