Ascorbic Acid Promotes Proliferation of Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts

Abstract

The periodontal ligament is a ligament-like tissue located between the alveolar bone and cementum. Ascorbic acid (AA) is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in this tissue. This study aimed to investigate the effect of AA on the proliferation of periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLFs). Cell proliferation was examined using the WST-8 assay. Real-time PCR was used to examine gene expression in PDLF. In some experiments, siRNA was used for the knockdown of gene expression. The WST-8 assay showed that AA promotes PDLF proliferation. Gene expression levels of cycline E1 and CDK2 were increased by AA. The cell proliferation-promoting effect of AA was abolished by the knockdown of SVCT2. Furthermore, cell proliferation was inhibited by adding an ERK inhibitor, UO128. The present study showed that AA is taken up into PDLFs via SVCT2, which contributes to rotating the cell cycle and enhancing cell proliferation. Furthermore, ERK signaling plays an important role in this process. Our results demonstrated that AA has an important role in periodontal ligament proliferation.