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Updated: Jun 25, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Tissue Regeneration and Disease Modeling with Dental Pulp Stem Cells
Published on: May 5, 2023
Dental pulp stem cells ameliorate D-galactose-induced cardiac ageing in rats
Gehan El-Akabawy1,2,3, Sherif Othman Fathy El-Kersh4, Ahmed Othman Fathy Othman El-Kersh5
1Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
Insights
Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) show promise for treating cardiac ageing. Transplantation of DPSCs improved heart function and reduced ageing markers in a rat model, suggesting potential for heart regeneration therapies.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Regenerative Medicine
- Gerontology
Background:
- Cardiac ageing is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, characterized by structural and functional changes like hypertrophy and reduced cardiomyocyte number.
- Age-related cardiac dysfunction includes ventricular hypertrophy, cardiomyocyte loss, and impaired function, highlighting the pathological impact of cellular ageing in the heart.
- Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) offer therapeutic potential due to their accessibility and regenerative capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of systemic Dental Pulp Stem Cell (DPSC) transplantation in a D-galactose-induced rat model of cardiac ageing.
- To evaluate the impact of DPSCs on cardiac function, cellular markers, and histopathology in an aged heart model.
- To establish DPSCs as a potential cell therapy for age-related cardiac decline.
Main Methods:
- Establishment of a cardiac ageing rat model using daily intraperitoneal D-galactose administration for 8 weeks.
- Random assignment of rats into control, D-galactose-induced ageing, and DPSC-transplanted groups.
- Systemic intravenous transplantation of DPSCs (1 × 10^6 cells) every two weeks in the treatment group.
Main Results:
- Transplanted DPSCs successfully migrated to the heart and differentiated into cardiomyocytes.
- Significant improvements in cardiac function, upregulation of Sirt1, and antioxidative effects were observed post-transplantation.
- DPSCs attenuated cardiac histopathological damage, reduced senescence, and inhibited apoptosis in the ageing heart.
Conclusions:
- DPSC transplantation demonstrates significant therapeutic benefits in a rat model of cardiac ageing.
- The study suggests that DPSCs hold potential as a viable cell-based therapy for combating age-related cardiac dysfunction.
- Further research into DPSC therapy could lead to novel treatments for cardiovascular ageing.
Background:
Ageing is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is linked to several alterations in cardiac structure and function, including left ventricular hypertrophy and increased cardiomyocyte volume, as well as a decline in the number of cardiomyocytes and ventricular dysfunction, emphasizing the pathological impacts of cardiomyocyte ageing. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are promising as a cellular therapeutic source due to their minimally invasive surgical approach and remarkable proliferative ability.
Aim:
This study is the first to investigate the outcomes of the systemic transplantation of DPSCs in a D-galactose (D-gal)-induced rat model of cardiac ageing. Methods. Thirty 9-week-old Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly assigned into three groups: control, ageing (D-gal), and transplanted groups (D-gal + DPSCs). D-gal (300 mg/kg/day) was administered intraperitoneally daily for 8 weeks. The rats in the transplantation group were intravenously injected with DPSCs at a dose of 1 × 106 once every 2 weeks.
Results:
The transplanted cells migrated to the heart, differentiated into cardiomyocytes, improved cardiac function, upregulated Sirt1 expression, exerted antioxidative effects, modulated connexin-43 expression, attenuated cardiac histopathological alterations, and had anti-senescent and anti-apoptotic effects.
Conclusion:
Our results reveal the beneficial effects of DPSC transplantation in a cardiac ageing rat model, suggesting their potential as a viable cell therapy for ageing hearts.
