DefinePK

Abstract

Studies have proven that dental pulp contains cells with stem cell activity. Although mice are widely used as a model organism, murine dental pulp stem cells (mDPSCs) are still poorly characterized. In this study, we aim to provide a modified and cost-effective method for isolating mDPSCs and to characterize the isolated cells using molecular markers. Mice incisors’ dental pulps were digested in collagenase 1A and the cell suspensions cultured in α-MEM supplemented with 20% (v/v) fetal bovine serum and 1% (v/v) penicillin-streptomycin. The morphology of the cells was observed and passage 4 cells were subjected to molecular characterization using RT-PCR. We found that the freshly isolated dental pulp cells through enzymatic dissociation method showed a heterogeneous cell morphology which became more homogeneous following cell passage. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed analysis that the murine incisors’ DPSCs are Cd105+, Cd13+, Cd29+, Cd146+, Cd166+, Cd90low, Cd73low, Cd105¯ and Cd34¯. Based on these findings, we concluded that dental pulp stem cells from murine incisor could be easily isolated through the method described and the incisor’s dental pulp could be a source of mesenchymal stem cells. Further studies are required to explore the differentiation potential of the isolated mDPSC in vitro.