AUTHOR=Alkharobi Hanaa Esa , Al-Khafaji Hasanain , Beattie James , Devine Deirdre Ann , El-Gendy Reem TITLE=Insulin-Like Growth Factor Axis Expression in Dental Pulp Cells Derived From Carious Teeth JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2018 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2018.00036 DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2018.00036 ISSN=2296-4185 ABSTRACT=The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis plays an important role in dental tissue regeneration and most components of this axis are expressed in human dental pulp cells (DPCs). In our previous study we analysed IGF axis gene expression in DPCs and demonstrated a novel role of IGFBP-2 and -3 in coordinating mineralised matrix formation in differentiating DPCs. A more recent study from our laboratory partially characterised dental pulp stem cells from teeth with superficial caries (cDPCs) and showed that their potential to differentiate to odontoblasts and or osteoblasts is enhanced by exposure to the mild inflammatory conditions characteristic of superficial caries. In the present study we examine whether changes apparent in IGF axis expression during osteogenic differentiation of healthy DPCs are also apparent in DPCs derived from carious affected teeth.