Effect of tetrahedral DNA nanostructures on proliferation and osteo/odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells via activation of the notch signaling pathway

As a novel DNA nanomaterial, tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDNs) can be self-assembled to form a tetrahedral nanostructure by four predesigned DNA single chains. TDNs can be transported into cells through caveolin-mediated endocytosis to change a series of cell biological behaviors of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), accompanied by the up-regulation of proteins correlated with the classical NOTCH signaling pathway. After exposure to TDNs, the proliferation of DPSCs was promoted significantly and the osteo/odontogenic differentiation was also enhanced greatly.194