Isolation and Characterization of Dental Pulp Stem Cells from Murine Incisors

Studies have proven that dental pulp contains cells with stem cell activity. Although mice are widely used as a model organism, murine dental pulp stem cells (mDPSCs) are still poorly characterized. In this study, we aim to provide a modified and cost-effective method for isolating mDPSCs and to characterize the isolated cells using molecular markers. Mice incisors' dental pulps were digested in collagenase 1A and the cell suspensions cultured in alpha -MEM supplemented with 20% (v/v) fetal bovine serum and 1% (v/v) penicillin-streptomycin. The morphology of the cells was observed and passage 4 cells were subjected to molecular characterization using RT-PCR. We found that the freshly isolated dental pulp cells through enzymatic dissociation method showed a heterogeneous cell morphology which became more homogeneous following cell passage. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed analysis that the murine incisors' DPSCs are Cdl05 super( +) Cd13 super( +), Cd29 super( +), Cd146 super( +), Cd166 super( +), Cd90 super( low), Cd73 super( low), Cdl05 super( -) and Cd34 super( -). Based on these findings, we concluded that dental pulp stem cells from murine incisor could be easily isolated through the method described and the incisor's dental pulp could be a source of mesenchymal stem cells. Further studies are required to explore the differentiation potential of the isolated mDPSC in vitro.