Silica-Ceria Nanocomposites Enhance Mandibular Mesenchymal Stem Cell Osteogenesis

Bone tissue engineering represents an emerging approach for maxillofacial bone defect repair, with mesenchymal stem cells serving as its core component. While silicon and cerium have demonstrated osteogenic effects on long bone mesenchymal stem cells and MC-3T3 cells through various pathways, their role in maxillofacial mesenchymal stem cells remains unclear. This study synthesized mesoporous silica-ceria nanocomposites(MSN-CeO₂) to investigate their effects on mouse maxillofacial mesenchymal stem cells. Transmission Electron Microscopy was utilized to analyze the morphology and particle size of MSN-CeO₂. Cell Counting Kit-8 analysis was utilized to detect the toxicity of MSN-CeO₂ on mouse maxillofacial mesenchymal stem cells. Alkaline phosphatase staining and alizarin red S staining were employed to evaluate the early osteogenic differentiation activity and the degree of extracellular matrix mineralization. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were performed to measure the expression levels of osteogenesis-related genes. MSN-CeO₂ demonstrated ideal pore size and particle size, exhibiting excellent stability and biocompatibility. MSN-CeO₂ significantly enhanced the early osteogenic differentiation activity and matrix mineralization capacity of mouse maxillofacial mesenchymal stem cells, and increased the expression of osteogenic genes (such as runt-related transcription factor 2, type I collagen α1, and osteocalcin). The MSN-CeO₂ nanocomposites synthesized in this study promoted osteogenic differentiation of mouse maxillofacial mesenchymal stem cells through the synergistic effects of silica dioxide and cerium dioxide.