Beneficial Effects of Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells in Alzheimer'sDisease Cell Model

Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease with multiple etiological factors, characterized by neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau) protein. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) have been utilized to reconstruct tissues destroyed by chronic pathology, but the use of PDLSCs for treating AD remains unstudied. Methods: We investigated the in vitro effects of PDLSCs on the function of SH-SY5Y cells that had been established as models of AD via use of okadaic acid (OA). To this end, we utilized immunofluorescence, CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, western blot, and confocal and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Co-culturing OA-treated SH-SY5Y cells with PDLSCs for 24 h was associated with improved cell shape, dendrites, cytoskeleton structure, and cell viability relative to the model without PDLSCs, while cell apoptosis and pTau protein levels were lower. Conclusion: These findings suggest that treatment of AD-model cells with PDLSCs promoted the recovery of cell shape, structure, and function. PDLSCs may be a novel research target for clinical treatment of patients with AD. Further investigations of the effect of PDLSCs in AD from the behavioral or molecular levels are warranted.