Abstract
Dental pulp tissue supports the vitality of the tooth, but it is particularly vulnerable to external insults, such as mechanical trauma, chemical irritation or microbial invasion, which can lead to tissue necrosis. In the present work, we present an endodontic regeneration method based on the use of a tridimensional (3D) hyaluronan scaffold and human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) to produce a functional dental pulp-like tissue in vitro. An enriched population of DPSCs was seeded onto hyaluronan-based non-woven meshes in the presence of differentiation factors to induce the commitment of stem cells to neuronal, glial, endothelial and osteogenic phenotypes. In vitro experiments, among which were gene expression profiling and immunofluorescence (IF) staining, proved the commitment of DPSCs to the main components of dental pulp tissue. In particular, the hyaluronan-DPSCs construct showed a dental pulp-like morphology consisting of several specialized cells growing inside the hyaluronan fibers. Furthermore, these constructs were implanted into rat calvarial critical-size defects. Histological analyses and gene expression profiling performed on hyaluronan-DPSCs grafts showed the regeneration of osteodentin-like tissue. Altogether, these data suggest the regenerative potential of the hyaluronan-DPSC engineered tissue.
Highlights
Dental pulp is a loose connective tissue in the central cavity of each tooth composed of four layers of cells: the external odontoblastic layer, the cell-free zone, the cell-rich zone and the internal parietal plexus of nerves
In vivo experiments suggest that hyaluronan alone or in combination with other biomaterials could provide a suitable environment for reparative dentin induction through mesenchymal stem cells differentiation [30,31,32,33]
We propose a method for the in vitro reconstruction of a dental pulp-like tissue that combines the numerous properties of hyaluronan with the stemness of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs)
Summary
Dental pulp is a loose connective tissue in the central cavity of each tooth composed of four layers of cells: the external odontoblastic layer, the cell-free zone, the cell-rich zone and the internal parietal plexus of nerves. It should be porous to allow the placement of cells and effective transport of nutrients, oxygen, waste, as well as growth factors It should be replaced by regenerative tissue, while retaining the shape and form of the final tissue structure [1]. In vivo experiments suggest that hyaluronan alone or in combination with other biomaterials could provide a suitable environment for reparative dentin induction through mesenchymal stem cells differentiation [30,31,32,33]. We propose a method for the in vitro reconstruction of a dental pulp-like tissue that combines the numerous properties of hyaluronan with the stemness of DPSCs. A population of DPSCs was isolated from third molars of healthy patients and seeded onto hyaluronan-based non-woven meshes in the presence of a sequential cocktail of differentiation factors, including neuronal, glial, endothelial and osteogenic factors. We have filled the artificial construct in critical-size bone defects to assess the osteodentin-like tissue regeneration in vivo
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
