The effects of Scrophularia striata extract and adipose-derived stem cells on the expression of VEGF, CGRP, and TNF-α genes in dental pulp regeneration in an animal model

Introduction: Scrophularia striata possesses wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. The present study aimed to assess the angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects of Scrophularia striata extract (SSE) and adipose-derived stem cells (SCs) on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) genes during pulp tissue regeneration in rat. Methods: The experiment involved 16 male Wistar rats. Teeth were randomly allocated into four experimental groups (n = 4 per group): 1. Control, 2. SSE extract alone, 3. SCs alone, and 4. SCs+SSE. Two weeks following the induction of pulpal infection, intracanal injections of SSE or SCs were administered. After an additional 3 weeks, the treated teeth were extracted to collect dental pulp tissue. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to measure the VEGF, CGRP, and TNF-α gene expression levels. Results: The mean VEGF expression in SCs+SSE group was significantly lower than in the control (P<0.01), whereas its level in the SSE group was significantly higher (P<0.01). The lowest TNF-α expression was observed in the SCs+SSE group, with the SSE group showing a significant increase compared with the control group (P<0.001). The lowest CGRP expression was observed in the SCs+SSE group, but mean CGRP gene expression in the studied groups was similar to that of the control group (P>0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that adding SCs to SSE may provide a protective modulatory effect by suppressing inflammation and angiogenesis without significantly altering CGRP expression.