The effect of PTEN inhibitor on Periodontal ligament cells

Objective: Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) act as a negative regulator of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3k)/Akt pathway, which is involved in cell growth, cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival signaling. This study aimed to investigate the effects of VO-OHpic, a PTEN inhibitor, on periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs). Overall design: PDLSCs were treated with VO-OHpic at various concentrations (0.625, 1.25, 2.5, and 5 µM). Cell viability was assessed using an MTT assay, and colony forming unit efficiency was determined by Coomassie blue staining. A scratch assay was performed to evaluate cell migration. Multipotent differentiation potential was determined using Alizarin Red S staining or oil red O staining, along with immunofluorescent staining and real-time quantitative PCR for gene expression analysis. High-throughput RNA sequencing techniques were employed to analyze transcriptomic data.