Mechanical Stress Modulates the RANKL/OPG System of Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells via α7 nAChR in Human Deciduous Teeth: An In Vitro Study

Figure 4

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway analysis of genes in response to mechanical stress. (a) Western blot assays showing the expression levels of GSK-3β, p-GSK-3β, total-β-catenin, and active-β-catenin in the UN group PDLSCs. (b) Alizarin red staining of PDLSCs from all groups after culturing in the osteogenic medium for 21 days and the entire plate views of each group. (c) Quantitative analysis for mineralized nodule formation via alizarin red staining of PDLSCs from all groups. (d) Relative mRNA expressions of RUNX2, ALP, RANKL, and OPG from UN group PDLSCs. (e) The Western blot assay results show the expression levels of RUNX2, ALP, RANKL, and OPG in PDLSCs from UN group PDLSCs. The cyclic hydraulic pressure was performed with a fixed frequency of 0.1 Hz at different ranges for 2 hours/day for three consecutive days (a, d, and e) and 21 consecutive days (b, c). Values have been expressed as . (, , and ; one-way ANOVA).

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