High glucose levels delay the senescence of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth by suppressing autophagy

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of varying glucose concentrations on the proliferation and senescence of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) compared to human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSC), and preliminarily clarify the difference of glucose metabolism be-tween SHED and hBMSC.Design: We cultured SHED and hBMSC in the presence of increasing glucose concentrations to study the role of glucose in cell viability, proliferation, and senescence. Gene expression related to the stemness of mesenchymal stem cells was evaluated using real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In addition, glucose consumption, lactic acid production, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis were measured to analyze glucose metabolism and expression of autophagy-related markers, including microtubule-associated proteins 1 A/1B light chain 3 B and p62.Results: While a high glucose level (4.5 g/L) promoted the proliferation of both SHED and hBMSC, it delayed senescence in SHED via autophagy inhibition but accelerated hBMSC senescence. In contrast to that in hBMSC, glycolysis in SHED was enhanced under the high-glucose culture condition.Conclusions: The glycometabolism of SHED and hBMSC differed, and a high glucose culture medium was more favorable for SHED.

Automated summary

The study investigated the effects of varying glucose concentrations on the proliferation and senescence of SHED and hBMSC. It was found that high glucose levels promoted proliferation in both cell types, but delayed senescence in SHED through autophagy inhibition and accelerated senescence in hBMSC. Additionally, the glycolysis in SHED was enhanced under high glucose culture conditions compared to hBMSC.