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Mechanobiological and Molecular Alterations in the Aging Dentin-Pulp Complex
Neshka Manchorova-Veleva1, Mina Pencheva2, David Baruh3
1Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Aging alters the dental pulp-dentin complex by changing apoptotic, inflammatory, and autophagy pathways. These changes correlate with mechanical property shifts, impacting pulp vitality and cellular adaptation in older individuals.
Area of Science:
- Dental Biology
- Tissue Engineering
- Gerontology
Background:
- The dental pulp-dentin complex is a dynamic system influenced by aging.
- Understanding age-related changes is crucial for maintaining pulp vitality and cellular function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize age-related alterations in apoptotic, inflammatory, and autophagy pathways.
- To assess nanoscale mechanical changes in the dental pulp-dentin complex.
- To evaluate the impact of these changes on pulp homeostasis and cellular adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Human teeth (n=90) were grouped by age: young (≤17), mature (18-50), and old (>51).
- Immunohistochemistry was used to measure protein expression (BID, Caspase-8, NFκB, STAT3, JAK1, COX-2, LAMP2, MAP LC3II).
- Nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy (AFM) assessed dentin hardness and elastic modulus.
Main Results:
- BID expression increased with age; Caspase-8 decreased (p<0.05).
- Anterior teeth showed higher marker positivity than molars for BID, Caspase-8, STAT3, and JAK1.
- Young root dentin had the lowest elastic modulus, while old coronal dentin had the highest, indicating age-dependent structural changes.
Conclusions:
- Dentin-pulp complex aging involves coordinated changes in apoptotic, autophagic, and inflammatory pathways.
- Altered mechanical properties are closely linked to these molecular pathway modulations.
- These age-related changes influence pulp vitality and cellular responses, suggesting targets for dental therapies.
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