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The odontogenic potential of STRO‐1 sorted rat dental pulp stem cells in vitro
Author(s) -
Yang Xuechao,
van den Dolder Juliette,
Walboomers X. Frank,
Zhang Weibo,
Bian Zhuan,
Fan Mingwen,
Jansen John A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.835
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-7005
pISSN - 1932-6254
DOI - 10.1002/term.16
Subject(s) - dental pulp stem cells , population , progenitor cell , stem cell , mesenchymal stem cell , pulp (tooth) , odontoblast , cell sorting , chemistry , in vitro , cell , microbiology and biotechnology , stromal cell , stem cell marker , biology , pathology , biochemistry , cancer research , medicine , environmental health
The presence of heterogeneous cell populations in dental pulp may count for the considerable variation in the outcome of in vitro and in vivo experiments. Here, we intended to determine whether a minor cell sub‐population of high proliferation and odontogenic potential existed among a larger compartment of perhaps more committed progenitors. In this study, the STRO‐1 antigen, defining a mesenchymal stem cell or progenitor subpopulation, was used for separating rat dental pulp cells with fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS). Subsequently, the STRO‐1 positive cells were tested for their ability to differentiate towards an odontoblast‐like phenotype. Three cell populations (STRO‐1 positive, STRO‐1 negative, and non‐sorted cells) were cultured in odontogenic medium containing dexamethasone and β‐glycerophosphate. Cultures were analyzed by light‐ and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and assessed for proliferation, ALP activity, and calcium content. Results showed that the STRO‐1 positive cell population was able to differentiate into the odontoblast phenotype, similar to the non‐sorted population. The negative cells however showed a fibroblast‐like phenotype. SEM and real‐time PCR confirmed such results. In conclusion, the STRO‐1 selection proved applicable for rat‐derived material, to obtain a cell population which is more homogeneous. This positive cell fraction was capable of differentiating into the odontogenic pathway, whereas the negative fraction was not. However, the effect was not always advantageous, when compared to non‐sorted cells. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.