Osteoblasts and insulin: an overview

Stem cells of dental pulp (SCDPs) have the ability to self-expand and differentiate in pre- osteoblasts. The aim of our study is to investigate whether insulin can influence differentiation of SCDPs in osteoblast and bone tissue. SCDPs were treated with insulin at the concentration of 100 ng/μl for 24 and 48 h. Gene expression in treated SCDPs was compared with untreated cells (control) in order to check the effect of insulin on stem cell differentiation. After 24 h, significant up-regulated genes (Fold change > 2) in SCDPs were the Bone Morphogenetic Proteins and their receptors. BMP results over-expressed after 48 h of treatment. Insulin was demonstrated to influence proliferation of SCDPs, differentiation and expansion in osteoblasts.