Evaluation of the periodontal regenerative properties of patterned human periodontal ligament stem cell sheets

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of patterned human periodontal ligament stem cell (hPDLSC) sheets fabricated using a thermoresponsive substratum. METHODS: In this study, we fabricated patterned hPDLSC sheets using nanotopographical cues to modulate the alignment of the cell sheet. RESULTS: The hPDLSCs showed rapid monolayer formation on various surface pattern widths. Compared to cell sheets grown on flat surfaces, there were no significant differences in cell attachment and growth on the nanopatterned substratum. However, the patterned hPDLSC sheets showed higher periodontal ligamentogenesis-related gene expression in early stages than the unpatterned cell sheets. CONCLUSIONS: This experiment confirmed that patterned cell sheets provide flexibility in designing hPDLSC sheets, and that these stem cell sheets may be candidates for application in periodontal regenerative therapy.