Hexosamine-Induced TGF-β Signaling and Osteogenic Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells Are Dependent on N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferase V

Figure 4

Differential effects of GlcN/GlcNAc, GalN/GalNAc, and ManN/ManNAc on alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralized matrix deposition of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). (a) ALP cytochemical staining. The negative control (NC) cells were cultured in regular medium, and the positive control cells were cultured in mineralizing medium containing osteogenic supplements (OS). (b) ALP enzyme activity. (c) Alizarin red S (ARS) staining to assess mineralized matrix deposition in long-term cultures. Cells were treated with 0.005 mg/mL hexosamine derivatives for 14 days (control), followed by further culture in the presence of OS for an additional 7 or 14 days (+7 d and +14 d). (d) Quantitative assessment of ARS. Data are shown as the mean ± SD of independent triplicate cultures. For each time point, statistical significance of the difference between the experimental and the NC groups is indicated by asterisks ().

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