[Isolation, cultivation and characterisation of stem cells in human periodontal ligament]

Recent studies have revealed the presence of postnatal stem cells in tissues of dental origin. Our objective was to establish a standardized in vitro model system to investigate periodontal regenerative procedures for potential clinical application. We aimed to prepare primary cell cultures from human periodontal ligament and to identify clonogenic progenitor cells. After scraping PDL tissue from extracted wisdom teeth, the extracellular matrix was enzymatically degraded to obtain isolated cells for culturing. The effect of FCS and Emdogain on cell viability of the cultures was estimated by MTT-assay. Cell populations expressing STRO-1 mesenchymal, c-kit embryonic and CD34 hematopoietic stem cell markers were identified by FACS-analysis. We successfully established primary cell cultures from the human PDL. The proliferation rate of the cultures was enhanced by the supplementation of the culture medium by serum or Emdogain. The PDL cultures contained cells capable of colony-formation, as well as cells with STRO-1, c-kit and CD-34 expression. The primary cultures were maintained through multiple passages. These findings present a novel opportunity to further investigate the differentiation and proliferation of PDL derived cells potentially capable of periodontal regeneration.