Ma Jinjie, Yan Jing, Su Nan, Qiu Zhengjun, Hou Huailong, Sun Jingxuan, Sun Xiangyu, Niu Yumei, He Lina
School of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150000, China.
J Mol Histol. 2025 Jan 7;56(1):67. doi: 10.1007/s10735-024-10351-w.
Facial nerve injuries lead to significant functional impairments and psychological distress for affected patients. Effective repair of these injuries remains a challenge. For longer nerve gaps, the regeneration outcomes after nerve grafting remain suboptimal due to limited sources and postoperative immune responses. Tissue engineering techniques are conventional methods for repairing peripheral nerve defects. This study explores the potential of dental pulp cells (DPCs) combined with stem cell factor (SCF) to enhance neurogenic differentiation and improve facial nerve regeneration. DPCs were isolated from rabbit dental pulp, the pluripotency of the cells was identified from three perspectives: osteogenic differentiation, adipogenic differentiation, and neurogenic differentiation. In vivo experiments involved injuring the buccal branch of the facial nerve in New Zealand white rabbits, followed by treatment with PBS, DPCs, SCF, or SCF + DPCs. Functional recovery was assessed over 12 weeks, with SCF + DPCs demonstrating the most significant improvement in whisker movement scores. Histomorphological evaluations revealed enhanced myelinated fiber density and axonal morphology in the SCF + DPCs group. RNA sequencing identified 608 differentially expressed genes, with enrichment in the TGF-β signaling pathway. In in vitro experiments, we demonstrated from multiple angles using Western blot analysis, Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) analysis, and immunofluorescence staining that SCF can promote the neurogenic differentiation of DPCs through the TGF-β1 signaling pathway. Our findings indicate that the combination of SCF and DPCs offers a promising strategy for enhancing facial nerve repair.
面神经损伤会给受影响的患者带来严重的功能障碍和心理困扰。有效修复这些损伤仍然是一项挑战。对于较长的神经间隙，由于来源有限和术后免疫反应，神经移植后的再生效果仍不尽人意。组织工程技术是修复周围神经缺损的常用方法。本研究探讨了牙髓细胞（DPCs）与干细胞因子（SCF）联合应用以增强神经源性分化和改善面神经再生的潜力。从兔牙髓中分离出DPCs，并从成骨分化、成脂分化和神经源性分化三个角度鉴定细胞的多能性。体内实验包括损伤新西兰白兔的面神经颊支，然后分别用PBS、DPCs、SCF或SCF + DPCs进行治疗。在12周内评估功能恢复情况，SCF + DPCs组的触须运动评分改善最为显著。组织形态学评估显示，SCF + DPCs组的有髓纤维密度和轴突形态有所增强。RNA测序鉴定出608个差异表达基因，这些基因在TGF-β信号通路中富集。在体外实验中，我们通过蛋白质免疫印迹分析、实时定量聚合酶链反应（QPCR）分析和免疫荧光染色从多个角度证明，SCF可通过TGF-β1信号通路促进DPCs的神经源性分化。我们的研究结果表明，SCF和DPCs的联合应用为增强面神经修复提供了一种有前景的策略。
