In Vitro and In Vivo Differentiation of Progenitor Stem Cells Obtained After Mechanical Digestion of Human Dental Pulp.
Human population is facing a revolutionary change in the demographic structure with an increasing number of elderly people requiring an unmet need to ensure a smooth aging process and dental care is certainly an important aspect that has to be considered. To date, dentistry has been conservative and the need of transferring the scientific models of regenerative dentistry into clinical practice is becoming a necessity. The aim of this study was to characterize the differentiation commitment (in vitro) and the clinical grafting ability (in vivo) of a population of progenitor stem cells obtained after mechanical digestion of dental pulp with an innovative system recently developed. This approach was successfully used in previous studies to obtain a clinical-grade ready to use dental pulp fragments that could be grafted in autologous tissues to obtain bone. We are thus showing that micro grafts resulting from mechanical digestion contain stem cells with a mesenchymal phenotype, able to differentiate toward different cell types and to generate new bone in patients. We are providing data for the establishment of standardized and routinely oral surgery approaches, having outlined the cellular properties of human stem cells obtained from the dental pulp. This method can represent a valid tool for both regenerative medicine and tissue engineering purposes not only applicable to the cranio-maxillofacial region but, likely, to different bone pathologies for a fastening and healing recovering of patients. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 548-555, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Manuela
M
Monti
Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Antonio
A
Graziano
Department of Clinical-Surgical Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Silvana
S
Rizzo
Immunohaematology and Transfusion Service, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Cesare
C
Perotti
Immunohaematology and Transfusion Service, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Claudia
C
Del Fante
Private Practice, Turin, Italy.
Riccardo
R
d'Aquino
Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.|Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Carlo Alberto
CA
Redi
Department of Clinical-Surgical Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Ruggero
R
Rodriguez Y Baena
D050156:Adipogenesis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D020219:Chondrogenesis; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000166:cytology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010011:Osteocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010012:Osteogenesis; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D055815:Young Adult