Vascular Cell-Like Potential of Undifferentiated Ligament Fibroblasts to Construct Vascular Cell-Specific Marker-Positive Blood Vessel Structures in a PI3K Activation-Dependent Manner

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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate whether fibroblasts derived from periodontal ligament (PDL) retain the ability to differentiate into putative vascular cells and construct vascular cell-specific marker-positive blood vessel structures. We also evaluated the morphological features of the structure and investigated the intracellular molecular mechanism underlying the angiogenic activity of these cells. Methods: Single cell-derived cultures (SCDCs) were established from primary rat ligament fibroblast cultures, and their expression of ligament cell-, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-, and vascular cell-specific markers was evaluated by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. The ability of the cells to construct a blood vessel structure was evaluated in a three-dimensional type I collagen scaffold. The morphological and immunohistological characteristics of the structure were then evaluated. Results: Each SCDC expressed endothelial cell (EC) and smooth muscle cell-specific markers, in addition to MSC- and ligament cell-specific markers. SCDC2 cells, which abundantly expressed the EC markers Flk-1 and Tie-2, vigorously constructed a blood vessel structure in a phosphoinositide 3-kinase activation-dependent manner. Conclusion: PDL fibroblasts have the potential to construct an EC marker-positive blood vessel-like structure. Consequently, the fibroblastic lineage in ligament tissue could be a candidate precursor for construction of a vascular system around damaged ligament tissue to facilitate its regeneration.

Journal

Details 詳細情報について

  • CRID
    1050282813983674496
  • NII Article ID
    120002400574
  • HANDLE
    2115/43855
  • ISSN
    10181172
  • Text Lang
    en
  • Article Type
    journal article
  • Data Source
    • IRDB
    • CiNii Articles

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