The Immunophenotype and the Odontogenic Commitment of Dental Pulp Stem Cells Co-Cultured with Macrophages Under Inflammatory Conditions Is Modulated by Complex Magnetic Fields

Dental inflammatory diseases remain a challenging clinical issue, whose causes and development are still not fully understood. During dental caries, bacteria penetrate the tooth pulp, causing pulpitis. To prevent pulp necrosis, it is crucial to promote tissue repair by recruiting immune cells, such as macrophages, able to secrete signal molecules for the pulp microenvironment and thus to recruit dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in the damaged site. To date, root canal therapy is the standard for dental caries, but alternative regenerative treatments are gaining attention. Complex Multifrequency Magnetoelectric Fields (CMFs) represent an interesting tool due to their potential anti-inflammatory activity. Against this background, the present work aims at investigating whether the CMF treatment might restore redox balance in a co-culture model of DPSCs and inflamed macrophages mimicking an inflammatory condition, like pulpitis. Results show that superoxide anion levels and markers related to the polarization of macrophages are modulated by the CMF treatment. In parallel, the use of CMFs discloses an impact on the odontogenic commitment of DPSCs, their immunophenotype being considerably modified. In conclusion, CMFs, by modulating the odontogenic commitment and the anti-inflammatory response of DPSCs, might represent a suitable therapeutic tool against pulpitis and, in general, towards dental inflammatory diseases.