| To improve the proliferation and differentiation of the dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), they need to be injected
using an accommodating sol-gel hydrogel. In this work, chitosan-based hydrogels were formulated using an
optimized preparation strategy using β-glycerophosphate (CS/GP) and genipin (CS/GN) respectively as the ionic
and chemical crosslinkers together with sodium hydrogen carbonate as the co-gelling agent. After physicochemical
characterization of the two types of hydrogels, the hydrogels were evaluated for their potential in
proliferating and/or differentiating dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in the presence/absence of mineral trioxide
aggregate (MTA) as endodontic filling material and differentiation media (D). The survival and proliferation of
DPSCs cultured on the two types of hydrogels were assessed and compared by cell viability and DNA assays. The
mineralization, activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and expression of osteo/odontogenic genes of DPSCs
grown on the two types of hydrogels were evaluated through alizarin red staining, ALP assay, and real-time PCR,
respectively. The findings corroborated that the CS/GN hydrogel can provide better features (e.g., 3D network)
than the CS/GP hydrogel. Cytocompatibility and live/dead cell analyses revealed that the DPSCs viability was
meaningfully increased using the CS/GN hydrogel. Our findings demonstrated the upregulated osteo/odontogenic
expression of DPSCs in the group cultivated using the CS/GN hydrogel supplemented with D + MTA. The
calcium deposits and ALP activity were also increased in the DPSCs cultured using CS/GN hydrogel with D +
MTA. Collectively, the CS/GN hydrogel along with D + MTA could substantially promote the osteogenic differentiation
of DPSCs. |