Abstract
The adult mammalian central nerve system has fundamental difficulties regarding effective neuroregeneration. The aim of this study is to investigate whether human dental pulp cells (DPCs) can promote neuroregeneration by (i) being differentiated toward neuronal cells and/or (ii) stimulating local neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. Using immunostaining, we demonstrated that adult human dental pulp contains multipotent DPCs, including STRO-1, CD146 and P75-positive stem cells. DPC-formed spheroids were able to differentiate into neuronal, vascular, osteogenic and cartilaginous lineages under osteogenic induction. However, under neuronal inductive conditions, cells in the DPC-formed spheroids differentiated toward neuronal rather than other lineages. Electrophysiological study showed that these cells consistently exhibit the capacity to produce action potentials, suggesting that they have a functional feature in neuronal cells. We further co-cultivated DPCs with adult mouse hippocampal slices on matrigel in vitro. Immunostaining and presto blue assay showed that DPCs were able to stimulate the growth of neuronal cells (especially neurons) in both the CA1 zone and the edges of the hippocampal slices. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), was expressed in co-cultivated DPCs. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that DPCs are well-suited to differentiate into the neuronal lineage. They are able to stimulate neurogenesis in the adult mouse hippocampus through neurotrophic support in vitro.
Highlights
The adult mammalian central nerve system (CNS) presents inherent difficulties for its effective regeneration following traumatic injuries or neurodegenerative diseases, such as spinal cord injury, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease [1]
This study demonstrated that dental pulp cells (DPCs) have an ability to differentiate toward neuronal lineage and can stimulate neurogenesis in the adult mouse hippocampus by providing neurotrophic support
Immunostaining showed that mesenchymal stem cell markers STRO-1 (Figure 1C) and CD146 (Figure 1D) were both expressed along the blood vessels
Summary
The adult mammalian central nerve system (CNS) presents inherent difficulties for its effective regeneration following traumatic injuries or neurodegenerative diseases, such as spinal cord injury, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease [1]. Stem cell-based therapies were pursued by these two approaches to achieve neuroregeneration: (i) replacing and/or promoting the survival of damaged cells; (ii) providing trophic support to stimulate local neurogenesis [5,6,7]. The transplantation of human embryonic stem (ES) cells, neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs), oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can improve recovery outcomes in animal models of spinal cord injury, and may enhance neurogenesis or replace lost neurons in neurodegenerative diseases [8,9,10,11,12]. There is no direct evidence demonstrating that stem cell-based therapies could improve neurogenesis in neuronal tissues, either in vivo or in vitro
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
