Differential effect of water-soluble chitin on collagen synthesis of human bone marrow stem cells and human periodontal ligament stem cells

Human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs) represent a promising regenerative material because of their mutipotency, including their ability to regenerate collagenous soft tissues. We previously found that water-soluble chitin (WSC) enhances the ability of human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) to synthesize collagen tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of WSC on hBMSCs and hPDLSCs for the collagen synthesis both in vitro and in vivo. hBMSCs and hPDLSCs were isolated and expanded with or without 0.3mg/mL WSC. A series of in vitro and in vivo analyses were performed to evaluate their characteristics as stem cell populations. Then, collagen and hydroxyproline assays were conducted using both in vitro and in vivo assay models, and the real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to analyze the expression of collagen-related markers. WSC-treated and nontreated hBMSCs and hPDLSCs were transplanted into immunocompromised mice, and histology and immunohistochemistry analyses were conducted after 8 weeks. The in vitro results showed that those cells possessed the characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells. The amount of soluble collagen synthesized was significantly greater in WSC-treated hBMSCs than in the nontreated group; conversely, treatment of hPDLSCs with WSC decreased the formation of soluble collagen. The amount of insoluble collagen synthesized was greater in the WSC-treated groups than in the nontreated groups for both hBMSCs and hPDLSCs. The hydroxyproline contents of the regenerated soluble and insoluble collagens were similar. The expressions of mRNA for collagen types I-V, hyaluronic acid synthase 1 (HAS1), HAS2, and HAS3, and the LOX family were higher in WSC-treated hPDLSCs than in the nontreated group, whereas WSC increased the expression of collagen type III and decreased that of collagen type I in hBMSCs. The histology and immunohistochemistry results revealed that WSC significantly increased the amount of collagen formed in vivo by both types of stem cells. Collectively, treatment with WSC significantly enhanced the collagen-forming potentials of hBMSCs and hPDLSCs, but the collagen they produced exhibited distinctively different characteristics. These findings suggest that the appropriate stem-cell source should be chosen based on the purpose of the required regenerated tissue.