The Effects of 3‐Dimensional Bioprinting Calcium Silicate Cement/Methacrylated Gelatin Scaffold on the Proliferation and Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells

Abstract

A calcium silicate cement/methacrylated gelatin (GelMa) scaffold has been applied in tissue engineering; however, the research on its applications in dental tissue regeneration remains lacking. We investigate the effect of this scaffold on human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). hDP‐ SCs were cultured in 3D‐printed GelMa and MTA‐GelMa scaffolds. Cell adhesion was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy images. Cells were cultured in an osteogenic differentiation medium, which contained a complete medium or α‐MEM containing aqueous extracts of the 3D-printd GelMa or MTA‐GelMa scaffold with 2% FBS, 10 mM β‐glycerophosphate, 50 μg/mL ascorbic acid, and 10 nM dexamethasone; cell viability and differentiation were shown by WST‐1 assay, Aliz-arin Red S staining, and alkaline phosphatase staining. Quantitative real‐time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of DSPP and DMP‐1. One‐way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s post hoc test was used to determine statistically significant differences, identified at p < 0.05. hDPSCs adhered to both the 3D‐printed GelMa and MTA‐GelMa scaffolds. There was no statistically significant difference between the GelMa and MTA‐GelMa groups and the control group in the cell viability test. Compared with the control group, the 3D‐printed MTA‐GelMa scaffold promoted the odontogenic differentiation of hDPSCs. The 3D‐printed MTA‐GelMa scaffold is suitable for the growth of hDPSCs, and the scaffold extracts can better promote odontoblastic differen-tiation.