# Impact of dental pulp cells-derived small extracellular vesicles on the properties and behavior of dental pulp cells: an in-vitro study

## TL;DR

This study shows that combining dental pulp cell-derived extracellular vesicles with MTA improves cell growth and tissue regeneration potential in dental pulp cells.

## Contribution

The novel finding is that combining DPCs-sEVs with MTA enhances cell proliferation, migration, and osteo/odontogenic gene expression more than either treatment alone.

## Key findings

- DPCs-sEVs increased cell proliferation and MTA further enhanced this effect.
- The combination of DPCs-sEVs and MTA significantly improved cell migration and gene expression of dentin and bone markers.
- The combination group showed the highest expression of Dspp, Ocn, Col1, and Runx2 genes.

## Abstract

Dental pulp cells-derived small extracellular vesicles (DPCs-sEVs) had shown immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and tissue function restorative abilities. Therefore, DPCs-sEVs should be considered as a promising regenerative tool for dentin-pulp complex or whole pulp regeneration. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of DPCs-sEVs on the proliferation rate, migration capability, and expression pattern of DPCs for osteo/odontogenic gene markers in comparison with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA).

DPCs-sEVs were isolated from rats’ incisors by ultracentrifugation technique. Immunophenotypic characterization, morphology, size, and protein concentration of DPCs-sEVs were monitored and analyzed using flow cytometry (FC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA). In addition, the TSG101, CD63, and the cytosolic protein syntenin of sEVs markers were immunodetected using Western blotting. Cell cultures of DPCs from the third passage were left untreated and considered as a control (group I), whereas other cultured cells were treated with 50 µg/mL DPCs-sEVs (group II), 0.2 mg/mL MTA extract (group III), or their combination (50 µg/mL DPCs-sEVs + 0.2 mg/mL MTA extract (group IV). 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, transwell migration assay, and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used for assessing proliferation, migration, and specific gene expression patterns.

The DPCs-sEVs increased DPCs proliferation, and MTA enhanced their effects. The viability and proliferative capacity of DPCs treated with 50 µg/mL DPCs-sEVs + 0.2 mg/mL MTA-conditioned medium was significantly higher when compared with the other groups. The cell migration was more prominent in the group treated with 0.2 mg/mL MTA-conditioned medium than in the group treated with 50 µg/mL DPCs-sEVs. DPCs treated with 50 µg/mL DPCs-sEVs + 0.2 mg/mL MTA extract showed a significant increase in the migration ability of DPCs in comparison with other ones. Moreover, the combination group showed the greatest expression of dentin sialophosphoprotein (Dspp), osteocalcin (Ocn), collagen type I (Col1), and runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2).

MTA and sEVs together could be a powerful combination for regenerative endodontics.

Not applicable.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-025-06031-0.