Silencing integrin α6 enhances the pluripotency-differentiation transition in human dental pulp stem cells

Dental-derived stem cells in tissue engineering: the role of biomaterials and host response

Dental-derived stem cells (DSCs) are attractive cell sources due to their easy access, superior growth capacity and low immunogenicity. They can respond to multiple extracellular matrix signals, which provide biophysical and biochemical cues to regulate the fate of residing cells. However, the direct transplantation of DSCs suffers from poor proliferation and differentiation toward functional cells and low survival rates due to local inflammation. Recently, elegant advances in the design of novel biomaterials have been made to give promise to the use of biomimetic biomaterials to regulate various cell behaviors, including proliferation, differentiation and migration. Biomaterials could be tailored with multiple functionalities, e.g., stimuli-responsiveness. There is an emerging need to summarize recent advances in engineered biomaterials-mediated delivery and therapy of DSCs and their potential applications. Herein, we outlined the design of biomaterials for supporting DSCs and the host response to the transplantation.

Culturing and Scaling up Stem Cells of Dental Pulp Origin Using Microcarriers

Ectomesenchymal stem cells derived from the dental pulp are of neural crest origin, and as such are promising sources for cell therapy and tissue engineering. For safe upscaling of these cells, microcarrier-based culturing under dynamic conditions is a promising technology. We tested the suitability of two microcarriers, non-porous Cytodex 1 and porous Cytopore 2, for culturing well characterized dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) using a shake flask system. Human DPSCs were cultured on these microcarriers in 96-well plates, and further expanded in shake flasks for upscaling experiments. Cell viability was measured using the alamarBlue assay, while cell morphology was observed by conventional and two-photon microscopies. Glucose consumption of cells was detected by the glucose oxidase/Clark-electrode method. DPSCs adhered to and grew well on both microcarrier surfaces and were also found in the pores of the Cytopore 2. Cells grown in tissue culture plates (static, non-shaking conditions) yielded 7 × 105 cells/well. In shake flasks, static preincubation promoted cell adhesion to the microcarriers. Under dynamic culture conditions (shaking) 3 × 107 cells were obtained in shake flasks. The DPSCs exhausted their glucose supply from the medium by day seven even with partial batch-feeding. In conclusion, both non-porous and porous microcarriers are suitable for upscaling ectomesenchymal DPSCs under dynamic culture conditions.