Short-term application of dexamethasone on stem cells derived from human gingiva reduces the expression of RUNX2 and β-catenin

Objective: Next-generation sequencing was performed to evaluate the effects of short-term application of dexamethasone on human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Methods: Human gingiva-derived stem cells were treated with a final concentration of 10⁻⁷M dexamethasone and the same concentration of vehicle control. This was followed by mRNA sequencing and data analysis, gene ontology and pathway analysis, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of mRNA, and western blot analysis of RUNX2 and β-catenin. Results: In total, 26,364 mRNAs were differentially expressed. Comparison of the results of dexamethasone versus control at 2 hours revealed that 7 mRNAs were upregulated and 25 mRNAs were downregulated. The application of dexamethasone reduced the expression of RUNX2 and β-catenin in human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Conclusion: The effects of dexamethasone on stem cells were evaluated with mRNA sequencing, and validation of the expression was performed with qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. The results of this study can provide new insights into the role of mRNA sequencing in maxillofacial areas.