Dental Pulp Polyps Contain Stem Cells Comparable to the Normal Dental Pulps

OBJECTIVES Few studies investigated the isolation of stem cells from pathologically injured dental tissues. The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of isolation of stem cells from pulp polyps (chronic hyperplastic pulpitis), a pathological tissue produced in an inflammatory proliferative response within a tooth. STUDY DESIGN Pulp polyp tissues were enzymatically digested and the harvested single cells were cultured. Cultured cells underwent differentiation to adipocytes and osteoblasts as well as flowcytometric analysis for markers such as: CD90, CD73, CD105, CD45, and CD14. In addition we tried to compare other characteristics (including colonigenic efficacy, population doubling time and the cell surface antigen panels) of these cells to that of healthy dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). RESULTS Cells isolated from pulp polyps displayed spindle shape morphology and differentiated into adipocytes and osteoblasts successfully. These cells expressed CD90, CD73, and CD105 while were negative for CD45, CD14. Number of colonies among 104 tissue cells was higher in the normal pulp tissue derived cells than the pulp polyps (P=0.016); but as polyp tissues are larger and contain more cells (P=0.004), the total number of the stem cell in a sample tissue was higher in polyps but not significantly (P=0.073). CONCLUSIONS The cells isolated from pulp polyps fulfill minimal criteria needed for MSC definition; hence, it can be concluded that pulp polyps contain stem cells. Although pulp polyps are rare tissues in daily practice but when they are present, may serve as a possible new non-invasively acquired tissue resource of stem cells for affected patients. List of abbreviations: APC = allophycocyanin, BM = Bone Marrow, CFU-F = Colony Forming Unit Fibroblast, DPSC = Dental Pulp Stem Cell, FITC = fluorescein isothiocyanate, MNC = mononuclear cells, MSC = Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cell, PE = Phycoerythrin, PerCP = Peridinin chlorophyll protein, PPSC = Pulp Polyp Stem Cell. Key words:Adult stem cell, chronic hyperplastic pulpitis, dental pulp stem cell, pulp polyp.