title: Systemically Transplanted Bone Marrow-derived Cells Contribute to Dental Pulp Regeneration in a Chimeric Mouse Model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Migratory cells via blood circulation or cells adjacent to the root apex may potentially participate in dental pulp tissue regeneration or renewal. This study investigated whether systemically transplanted bone marrow cells can contribute to pulp regeneration in a chimeric mouse model.
  
  
  METHODS
  A chimeric mouse model was created through the injection of bone marrow cells from green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic C57BL/6 mice into the tail veins of recipient wild-type C57BL/6 mice that had been irradiated with a lethal dose of 8.5 Gy from a high-frequency linear accelerator. These mice were subjected to pulpectomy and pulp revascularization. At 1, 4, and 8 weeks after surgery, in vivo animal imaging and histologic analyses were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In vivo animal imaging showed that the green biofluorescence signal from the transplanted GFP+ cells increased significantly and was maintained at a high level during the first 4 weeks after surgery. Immunofluorescence analyses of tooth specimens collected at 8 weeks postsurgery showed the presence of nestin+/GFP+, α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)/GFP+, and NeuN/GFP+ cells within the regenerated pulplike tissue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data confirm that transplanted bone marrow-derived cells can contribute to dental pulp regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Anatomical Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wenan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qiuyue
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jiajing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Dental Care, Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Boon Chin
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Heng
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qianli
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: bulingwu0605@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Buling
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Anatomical Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: dingzih@163.com.
authors.forename: Zihai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Dental Care, Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; HKU Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: zhangcf@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Chengfei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000502:physiology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011670:Pulpectomy / Q000379:methods; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D018183:Transplantation Chimera; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Bone marrow–derived cells; chimeric mouse; in vivo imaging; pulp regeneration