Oroxylin A Shows Protective Effects on Biological Activity of Lipopolysaccharide Treated Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells

The abnormal proliferation and apoptosis of human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) serves a crucial role in the development of periodontitis. Oroxylin A has shown protective effects in a variety of inflammatory diseases. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of oroxylin A on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated hPDLSCs. In the present study, cells were exposed to different concentrations (10, 20, 40 uM) of oroxylin A for 24 h or 48 h, co-treated with LPS. The cell proliferation capacity was assessed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), and the cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. The Ki67 expression was measured using immunofluorescence and NO production was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. Western blot analyses were used to investigate the level of cell proliferation related proteins (PCNA, CDK2 and p21) as well as NF-κB, I-κBα and downstream molecules iNOS, IL-6 and TNF-α. The results demonstrated that oroxylin A increased cell survival of LPS treated hPDLSCs in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. In addition, oroxylin A treatment inhibited cell apoptosis in hPDLSCs. Furthermore, the levels of NO, NF-κB, iNOS, IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly reduced. And the expression of Ki67, I-κBα, PCNA and CDK2 were significantly increased. Taken together, these findings indicate that oroxylin A promote proliferation and suppress apoptosis in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Oroxylin A may affects LPS induced biological activity via inhibiting NF-κB activation and proinflammatory cytokines expression in hPDLSCs.