Isolation and characterization of equine dental pulp stem cells derived from Thoroughbred wolf teeth

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult multipotent stem cells that are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell lineages. Methods for cell therapy using MSCs have been developed in equine medicine. Recently, human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) have drawn much attention owing to their trophic factor producing ability and minimally invasive collection methods. However, there have been no reports on equine dental pulp-derived cells (eDPCs). Therefore, the aim of this study was to isolate and characterize the eDPCs from discarded wolf teeth. Plastic-adherent spindle-shaped cells were isolated from wolf teeth. The doubling time of the isolated eDPCs was approximately 1 day. Differentiation assays using induction medium eDPCs differentiated into osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic lineages. The eDPCs expressed mesenchymal makers (CD11a/18, CD44, CD90 CD105 and MHC class I and II), but did not express hematopoietic markers (CD34 and CD45). Taken together, the results show that eDPCs can be isolated from discarded wolf teeth, and they satisfy the minimal criteria for MSCs. Thus, these eDPCs can be referred to as equine DPSCs (eDPSCs). These eDPSCs may become a new source for cell therapy.