Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Adiponectin is a recently discovered specific protein secreted by adipocytes, which has been shown to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism and protect against oxidative stress. Thereafter, adiponectin is a promising therapy for diabetes mellitus and its complications. 
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the classic Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway on the apoptosis of human periodontal ligament cells mediated by high glucose after the intervention of adiponectin.
METHODS: Human periodontal ligament cells were revived and cultured in vitro. The cells were randomly divided into control group (normal RPMI1640 culture medium containing 11 mmol/L glucose), high glucose group (40 mmol/L glucose in the RPMI1640 culture medium), mannitol group (19.5 mmol/L mannitol in RPMI1640 culture medium) and adiponectin group (40 mmol/L glucose in the RPMI1640 culture medium+20 mg/L adiponectin). In different time points (24-96 hours), the cell survival rate in each group was detected by MTT assay. The cell cycle distribution and the cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The Wnt1, Wnt10b and β-catenin gene and protein expression levels were determined by RT-PCR and western blot assay, respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The high level glucose could inhibit the cell proliferation, improve the cell apoptosis and had no obvious effect on the cell cycle. The effect to decrease the cell proliferation was in a time-dependent manner. But the adiponectin intervention significantly increased the cell proliferation and reduced the apoptosis, compared with the high glucose group (P < 0.05). Compared with the control and mannitol groups, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Wnt1, Wnt10b and β-catenin were significantly decreased in the high glucose group, while the levels in the adiponectin group were obviously increased (P < 0.05). To conclude, high glucose can improve the apoptosis of human periodontal ligament cells and inhibit the proliferation, but have no obvious effect on the cell cycle. Adiponetin can remit the effect induced by high glucose by up-regulating Wnt1 and Wnt10b expression and then activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：组织构建；骨细胞；软骨细胞；细胞培养；成纤维细胞；血管内皮细胞；骨质疏松；组织工程

Key words: Adiponectin, Periodontal Ligament, Apoptosis, Wnt1 Protein, Tissue Engineering