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Updated: Apr 19, 2026
Isolation, Culture, and Characterization of Dental Pulp Stem Cells from Human Deciduous and Permanent Teeth
Published on: May 17, 2024
Comparative analysis of cardiovascular development related genes in stem cells isolated from deciduous pulp and
Zhang Xin Loo1, Wijenthiran Kunasekaran1, Vijayendran Govindasamy2
1Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Insights
Human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) and adipose stem cells (ASC) show similar stem cell characteristics but differ in cardiac regeneration potential. Further research is crucial before clinical application.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) and adipose stem cells (ASC) are potential candidates for cardiac regeneration.
- Their functional capacity for cardiac repair remains largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the intrinsic biological properties of SHED and ASC for cardiac regeneration.
- To compare their potential in differentiating towards cardiomyocytes.
Main Methods:
- Both SHED and ASC were characterized for mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) markers.
- Human stem cell transcription factor arrays were employed to analyze gene expression.
- Cells were induced towards cardiomyocyte differentiation, and gene expression profiles were analyzed.
Main Results:
- SHED and ASC displayed indistinguishable MSC characteristics.
- Upregulated transcription factor genes related to cardiovascular development, angiogenesis, and vasculogenesis were detected in both cell types.
- Adipose stem cells (ASC) showed significantly higher expression of cardiomyocyte-specific markers compared to SHED during differentiation.
- Spontaneous cellular beating was not observed in either cell type.
Conclusions:
- Despite sharing MSC characteristics, SHED and ASC exhibit distinct behaviors under cardiomyocyte culture conditions.
- Adipose stem cells (ASC) demonstrate a greater propensity for cardiomyocyte differentiation than SHED.
- Thorough characterization is essential before utilizing these stem cells for therapeutic applications in cardiac diseases.
Abstract:
Human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) and adipose stem cells (ASC) were suggested as alternative cell choice for cardiac regeneration. However, the true functionability of these cells toward cardiac regeneration is yet to be discovered. Hence, this study was carried out to investigate the innate biological properties of these cell sources toward cardiac regeneration. Both cells exhibited indistinguishable MSCs characteristics. Human stem cell transcription factor arrays were used to screen expression levels in SHED and ASC. Upregulated expression of transcription factor (TF) genes was detected in both sources. An almost equal percentage of >2-fold changes were observed. These TF genes fall under several cardiovascular categories with higher expressions which were observed in growth and development of blood vessel, angiogenesis, and vasculogenesis categories. Further induction into cardiomyocyte revealed ASC to express more significantly cardiomyocyte specific markers compared to SHED during the differentiation course evidenced by morphology and gene expression profile. Despite this, spontaneous cellular beating was not detected in both cell lines. Taken together, our data suggest that despite being defined as MSCs, both ASC and SHED behave differently when they were cultured in a same cardiomyocytes culture condition. Hence, vigorous characterization is needed before introducing any cell for treating targeted diseases.
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