Effect of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-7 on proliferation and differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells

Objective: To study the effect of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-7 (rhBMP-7) on proliferation and differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells (HPDLCs) cultivated in vitro. Methods: The HPDLCs were tested Vimentin positive and Ck (pan) negative. Different dosages (50, 100, 200 and 400 μmol·L^-1) of rhBMP-7 were added in the cultured HPDLCs. 1, 3, 5 d after administration of rhBMP-7, the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of HPDLCs were examined by MTT assay and the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was detected with ELISA. Results: The administration of rhBMP-7 significantly elevated the proliferation rate and differentiation of HPDLCs with the dosage of 100, 200 and 400 μmol·L^-1 respectively (P< 0.01), no difference was found between different dosages groups (P>0.05). Moreover, rhBMP-7 significantly induced the osteogenic differentiation ability with the increased expression level of ALP and 200 μmol·L^-1 was the most effective dosage in the differentiation ability. Conclusion: BMP-7 may participate in the remodeling of periodontal tissue by regulating the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of HPDLCs.