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Updated: Jul 22, 2026
Development of a Direct Pulp-capping Model for the Evaluation of Pulpal Wound Healing and Reparative Dentin Formation in Mice
Published on: January 12, 2017
Immunohistological Characterization of Minced Dental Pulp Transplant in an Ectopic Mouse Model
Chaehwan Lee1, Yuka Miyamoto2, Wei Chen3
1Section of Endodontics, Division of Regenerative and Reconstructive Sciences, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California; The Shapiro Family Laboratory of Viral Oncology and Aging Research, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California; Department of Conservative Dentistry and Oral Science Research Center, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, South Korea.
Introduction:
Dental pulp stem cells have been explored as a potential source for dentin-pulp complex regeneration because of their pluripotency and differentiation capacity. However, cell-based approaches require enzymatic digestion and in vitro expansion, which may alter cell properties and hinder clinical translation. This preliminary proof-of-principle study examines a tissue-based alternative using freshly minced pulp (MP) in an ectopic mouse model as a potentially translatable approach for regenerative endodontics.
Methods:
Human dental pulp tissue was either minced or enzymatically digested, seeded onto collagen type I scaffolds, inserted into root fragments, and implanted subcutaneously into immunocompromised mice.
Results:
Histology revealed that MP grafting generated well-organized dentin-pulp-like tissue with high cellularity, vascularization, mineralization, and odontoblast-like cells extending processes into dentinal tubules, whereas dental pulp stem cell grafts formed less organized tissue and mineral deposits. MP-derived tissues also exhibited angiogenic potential, forming vessel-like structures containing pericytes and endothelial cells.
Conclusions:
This preliminary in vivo mouse study suggests the feasibility of MP transplantation and its potential for dentin-pulp complex regeneration, though further studies are needed to assess long-term outcomes and clinical applicability.
