Characterization of Stem Cells From Pulp Tissue of Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth, Impacted Third Molars and Apical Papilla of Impacted Third Molars With Open Apices: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Background and Objective: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from many different dental tissues have enormous potential in tissue regeneration and immunotherapy. MSCs isolated and cultured in many different ways are known for their heterogenecity expressed through multiple phenotypes which in turn may reflect their distinct functional properties; it is important to analyze and compare the characteristics of each cell lines cultured. The objective of this study is to isolate MSCs from 3 different sources and analyze and compare their morphological and phenotypic characteristics. Materials and Methods: The samples were collected and mononuclear cells were isolated using enzymatic digestion method and the adherent cell cultures were maintained till passage 3 and the harvested cells were analyzed for different phenotypic markers such as CD34, CD45, CD29, CD105, CD73, CD90, SOX2, OCT3/4, and neuroectodermal stem cell marker (NESTIN). The comparative statistical analysis of characterized cells was done by standard deviation methods using SPSS software (Canada). Results: Our study was successful in isolation, culture, and characterization of stem cells from all the mentioned 3 sources. All established cultures were more than 95% positive for mesenchymal markers and less than 5% positive for hematopoietic markers. The cells also expressed pluripotency markers and neural markers. Further, the comparison of mean positive expressions among the groups using analysis of variance showed the different significance levels of expression of different markers in groups. Conclusion: MSCs from different sources show promising expression of different markers; therefore, it can be concluded that cells isolated from dental sources can be used for treating various neurodegenerative diseases in the future.