Yes-associated protein-mediated melatonin regulates the function of periodontal ligament stem cells under oxidative stress conditions

Figure 5 Melatonin increased stemness and delayed senescence in hydrogen peroxide-induced periodontal ligament stem cells. A: Melatonin (MT) restored the expression levels of stemness-related proteins C-MYC, OCT-4, and NANOG in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs); B: Alkaline phosphatase staining and alkaline phosphatase activity showed that MT enhanced the osteogenic differentiation ability of the H₂O₂-induced PDLSCs; C: Alizarin Red staining and quantitative analysis showed that MT enhanced the osteogenic differentiation ability of the H₂O₂-induced PDLSCs; D: Senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining indicated MT decreased senescence-associated β-galactosidase-positive cells in H₂O₂-induced PDLSCs; E: Western blot results showed that MT increased the expression of p-RB but inhibited the expression of p21 in H₂O₂-induced PDLSCs. Data are presented as mean ± SD, n = 3. ^aP < 0.05; ^bP < 0.01; ^cP < 0.001; ^dP < 0.0001. H₂O₂: Hydrogen peroxide; ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; ARS: Alizarin Red staining; MT: Melatonin; SA β-gal: Senescence-associated β-galactosidase.