Dental Structures: a niche of neural crest stem cells

Objectives: Human periodontal ligament and dental pulp tissues are derived from the neural crest cells. The identification of neural crest adult stem cells has received great attention based on its great potential in the tissue regeneration. The objective of the present work was to verify these dental structures as a niche of neural crest stem cells.

Methods: Cells from human periodontal ligament and dental pulp tissues had been isolated from 10 teeth of 7 individuals, after enzymatic digestion. The cells were cultured in specific inductive medium. Analyses of protein and gene expression were performed through immunocytochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction techniques, respectively.

Results: Mesodermal phenotypes had been identified (adipogeneic, osteogenic, and myofibroblastic), after culture in inductive medium. Immunocytochemistry analyses showed the presence of markers of undifferentiated cells of neural crest (HNK1, p75). When cultured in inductive medium that allowed neural differentiation, the cells showed markers for b-tubulinIII, neurofilament M, peripherin, and protein zero by means of RT-PCR technique. The results were similar between the two studies groups (periodontal ligament and dental pulp).

Conclusion: This research provides evidence that human dental structures, in addition to its mesodermal derivatives, produces neural crest-like cells. Such features suggest a recapitulation of their embryonic state. These human dental structures revealed itself as a viable alternative source for possible primitive precursors to be used in stem-cell therapies.