INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ORAL-MEDICAL SCIENCES

Vol. 7 No. 2      December - 2008

ISSN: 1347-9733      UBIC: 136-M

Abstract

The dental follicle is the fibrous tissue that surrounds the developing tooth germ, and it is believed to contain osteogenic precursor cells. In this study, we isolated and cultured human dental follicle cells and compared the osteogenic differentiation capacity between human dental follicle cells and human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow. Human dental follicle cells were isolated from the dental follicle of extracted third molars by collagenase/dispase digestion. Human dental follicle cells and mesenchymal stem cells were cultured in mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic induction medium (MSCOIM) with (DEX+) or without dexamethasone (DEX-), or in growth medium (MSCGM). The dental follicle cells cultured in MSCGM exhibited fibroblast-like spindle shapes. The ability of osteogenic differentiation in dental follicle cells and mesenchymal stem cells was examined using alizarin red S stain. Alkaline phosphatase activity was also measured. Calcium deposition was observed in dental follicle cells cultured in MSCOIM (DEX+) or MSCOIM (DEX-), but only in mesenchymal stem cells cultured in MSCOIM (DEX+). Alkaline phosphatase activity was higher in dental follicle cells than in mesenchymal stem cells cultured in either MSCOIM (DEX+) or MSCOIM (DEX-). Furthermore, real time-polymerase chain reaction analysis of the mRNA levels of osteomodulin, considered a marker of osteoblast activity, revealed an increased osteomodulin mRNA level in dental follicle cells cultured in MSCOIM (DEX+) or MSCOIM (DEX-) for 7 days. In contrast, the mRNA level of osteomodulin was higher in mesenchymal stem cells cultured in MSCOIM (DEX +) only. We suggest that dental follicle cells, and not mesenchymal stem cells, commit progenitor cells for osteoblasts, and that the dental follicle may serve as a therapeutic cell reservoir for bone regeneration. Keywords: human dental follicle, mesenchymal stem cells, differentiation toward osteoblasts, mineralization, osteomodulin.

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