Effect and mechanism of microRNA-27a on dental pulp stem cells in pulpitis

李鹏1田浩2纪亚楠1李绒3李旭华1*

doi:10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.04.005

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Acta Anatomica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (4) : 425-433. DOI: 10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.04.005

Cell and Molecules Biology

Effect and mechanism of microRNA-27a on dental pulp stem cells in pulpitis

LI Peng¹, TIAN Hao², JI Ya-nan¹, LI Rong³, LI Xu-hua^1*

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of microRNA(miR)-27a on hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and the biological activity of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPCs), and to preliminarily explore its potential mechanism based on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Methods Animal experiments: Thirty SPF-grade male SD rats (6-9 months old, weighing 275-310 g) were randomly divided into five groups (n=6 per group): Normal group (Nor),pulpitis group (Pul), no-load group (NL), inhibitor group (Inh), Inh+740Y-P group. The expression level of miR-27a was detected by Real-time PCR. Pathological changes in pulp tissue were observed by HE staining. The levels of related inflammatory factors were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of HIF-1α and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related proteins were detected by Western blotting. Cell experiments: hDPCs were randomly divided into five groups, control group (Ctrl), lipopolysaccharidegroup (LPS), negative control inhibitor group（NC inh）, miR-27a inhibitor group (miR-27a inh), miR-27a inhibitor+740Y-P group (miR-27a inh+740Y-P). Cell proliferation and apoptosis rates were detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Results Animal experiment: Compared with the Nor group, the levels of miR-27a, inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, HIF-1α, and proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the Pul and NL groups increased significantly (P<0.05). The above-mentioned indicators in the Inh group were significantly lower than those in the Pul and NL groups (P< 0.05). Compared with the Inh group, the levels of inflammatory cytokines, HIF-1α, and proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the Inh+740Y-P group increased significantly (P<0.05). Cell experiments: With the prolongation of LPS treatment time, the expression level of miR-27a in hDPCs gradually increased (P<0.05). Compared with the Ctrl group, the levels of miR-27a, cell apoptosis rate, inflammatory cytokines, HIF-1α protein, and proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the LPS group and NC inh group increased significantly (P<0.05), while the cell proliferation rate decreased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the LPS group and NC inh group, the above-mentioned indicators in the miR-27a inh group decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the cell proliferation rate increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the miR-27a inh group, the cell apoptosis rate, inflammatory cytokines, HIF-1α protein, and proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the miR-27a inh + 740Y-P group increased significantly (P<0.05), while the cell proliferation rate decreased significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion MiR-27a can exacerbate the inflammatory response by activating the PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α signaling pathway, thereby affecting the biological activities such as proliferation and apoptosis of dental pulp stem cells and promoting the progression of pulpitis in rats.

Key words

Pulpitis

/ MicroRNA-27a / Phosphatidylinositol3-kinase/protein kinase B / Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α / Western blotting / Rat

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LI Peng TIAN Hao , JI Ya-nan , LI Rong , LI Xu-hua. Effect and mechanism of microRNA-27a on dental pulp stem cells in pulpitis[J]. Acta Anatomica Sinica. 2026, 57(4): 425-433 https://doi.org/10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.04.005

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