Several novel biomaterials have been developed for dental pulp capping by inducing tertiary dentin formation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of QP5, an amelogenin-based peptide, on the mineralization of dental pulp cells (DPCs) in vitro and in vivo. The cell viability of human DPCs (hDPCs) after treatment with QP5 was determined using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). Migration of hDPCs was assessed using scratch assays, and the pro-mineralization effect was determined using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, alizarin red staining and the expression of mineralization-related genes and proteins. The results showed that QP5 had little effect on the cell viability, and significantly enhanced the migration capability of hDPCs. QP5 promoted the formation of mineralized nodules, and upregulated the activity of ALP, the expression of mRNA and proteins of mineralization-related genes. A pulp capping model in rats was generated to investigate the biological effect of QP5. The results of micro-computed tomography and haematoxylin and eosin staining indicated that the formation of tertiary dentin in QP5-capping groups was more prominent than that in the negative control group. These results indicated the potential of QP5 as a pulp therapy agent.

中文翻译：

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评估牙釉蛋白衍生肽在三级牙本质形成中的潜力

通过诱导三级牙本质形成，已经开发了几种用于牙髓覆盖的新型生物材料。本研究的目的是评估基于牙釉蛋白的肽 QP5 在体外和体内对牙髓细胞 (DPC) 矿化的影响。使用 Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) 测定用 QP5 处理后人 DPC (hDPC) 的细胞活力。使用划痕试验评估 hDPC 的迁移，并使用碱性磷酸酶 (ALP) 染色、茜素红染色和矿化相关基因和蛋白质的表达来确定促矿化作用。结果表明，QP5对细胞活力影响不大，显着增强了hDPCs的迁移能力。QP5促进矿化结核的形成，上调ALP的活性，矿化相关基因的 mRNA 和蛋白质的表达。建立大鼠盖髓模型以研究 QP5 的生物学效应。微型计算机断层扫描和苏木精和伊红染色结果表明，QP5加帽组三级牙本质的形成比阴性对照组更明显。这些结果表明 QP5 作为牙髓治疗剂的潜力。