Morphological Neuronal-Like Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells Induced By ROCK Inhibitor

Information from the abstract

Neuronal regeneration remains a major challenge in the treatment of neurological disorders because of the limited regenerative capacity of neurons. Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) represent a promising cell source for neural regeneration because of their neurogenic differentiation potential. Rho-associated kinase (ROCK), a key regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics, influences neuronal morphogenesis. However, the morphological and functional consequences of ROCK, Y-27632 inhibition in hDPSCs remain incompletely characterized. This study investigated the neurogenic effects of ROCK inhibition in hDPSCs. Cells were characterized for mesenchymal stem cell properties and treated with 30 μM Y-27632. Neuronal differentiation was evaluated by Cresyl violet staining, scanning electron microscopy, βIII-tubulin immunofluorescence, and intracellular Ca²⁺ imaging. Y-27632 treatment induced pronounced morphological remodeling, resulting in distinct bipolar and multipolar neuron-like phenotypes accompanied by βIII-tubulin expression. Importantly, Y-27632-treated cells exhibited a rapid increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ fluorescence following KCl stimulation, supporting the acquisition of depolarization-responsive properties. These findings demonstrate that ROCK inhibition promotes morphological and functional neuronal-like differentiation of hDPSCs, supporting their potential utility in neural regeneration research.

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Related topics: Mesenchymal stem cell research · Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms · Pluripotent Stem Cells Research