Background: Dental caries remains a major public health concern. Dental endodontics (root canal) therapy involves extirpating the dental pulp and replacing with inert materials. For severe tooth decay, it is the only available treatment; however, it fails to restore the biological functions and vitality of the dental tissues and may ultimately leads to tooth loss. To overcome these shortcomings, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are being investigated as a novel prospective approach to regenerate the dental tissue. In this study, we isolated and purified DPSCs and characterized the purified cells.
Objectives: The aims of this study were as follows: (i) to rapidly extirpate dental pulp tissues from human third molar teeth under sterile conditions; (ii) to isolate, characterize, and purify a heterogeneous population of DPSCs using mesenchymal stem cell markers; (iii) to determine the ability of DPSCs to differentiate down an odontoblastic lineage.
Design: DPSCs were mechanically and chemically isolated from human impacted third molar teeth. Cells were expanded, passaged, and a heterogeneous population of DPSCs isolated using a cloning cylinder. DPSCs were characterized and purified by flow cytometry using the mesenchymal stem cell markers, STRO-1, CD44, and CD146. DPSCs were induced under two different odontogenic conditions comprising different concentrations of beta-glycerophosphate, and dexamethasone. DPSCs were analysed for morphology, proliferation potential, collagen formation, mineralization characteristics, and expression of the dentin-specific markers dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) and dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP-1), using immunohistochemistry.
Results: DPSCs were positive for the mesenchymal stem cell markers STRO-1, CD44, and CD146, although two populations of cells showed different levels of STRO-1 expression. Differentiated DPSCs (dDPSCs) demonstrated a significant increase in alkaline phosphatase concentration between days 14 and 21, while a similar increase in collagen deposition, mineralization, and calcification was also observed on day 28. The proliferation rate of dDPSCs decreased with time. Odontoblast characteristics of dDPSCs were observed, with increased expression of the dentin-specific markers DSPP and DMP-1.
Conclusions: This investigation demonstrated successful isolation of DPSCs and differentiation of DPSCs down an odontoblastic lineage, indicating that DPSCs represent a promising approval for the regeneration of lost dental tissues.
