Midkine Promotes Odontoblast-like Differentiation and Tertiary Dentin Formation

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Autophagy is crucial for cellular processes but its role in tooth development remains unclear.
• Midkine (MK) is a growth factor with potential roles in tissue regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of autophagy in midkine (MK)-mediated odontoblast-like differentiation, mineralization, and tertiary dentin formation.
• To explore MK's potential in vital pulp therapy.

Main Methods:

• In vitro studies of odontoblast-like cell differentiation with MK and autophagy markers (LC3).
• Subcutaneous transplantation of rMK-treated human dental pulp cells with biomaterials.
• In vivo analysis of tertiary dentin formation in a mouse tooth pulp exposure model.

Main Results:

• MK and LC3 expression patterns were similar during odontoblast-like cell differentiation.
• MK-mediated autophagy promoted odontoblast-like differentiation and mineralized nodule formation in vitro.
• MK-mediated autophagy induced the formation of dentin pulp-like tissue and DSP-positive tertiary dentin in vivo.

Conclusions:

• Midkine (MK) plays a significant role in regulating odontoblast-like differentiation and dentin formation through autophagy.
• MK-mediated autophagy is a key mechanism in tertiary dentin formation.
• MK shows promise for applications in vital pulp therapy.