Survival of Dental Pulp Stem Cells: The effect of Soymilk and Milk

Background & Objectives: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are alternate source of mesenchymal stem cells. Subsequent to tooth avulsion and fracture, DPSCs can play a prominent role in tissue regeneration. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of soymilk and milk on survival of dental pulp stem cells. Materials & Methods: DPSCs were isolated from 16 freshly extracted incisors of 5 rabbits. The 3rd passage was seeded in 24 well plates, and after 3 days, soymilk, cow milk, HBSS, and distilled water were replaced with culture media. After 45 minutes, 1.5, 3, and 6 hours, the viability of DPSCs were investigated. Mesenchymal nature of stem cells was investigated by RT-PCR. The cell viability was determined by Trypan blue exclusion. Karyotyping was done to evaluate the cytogenetic stability of cells.  Results: The viability of DPSCs in all media were significantly more than distilled water at all intervals. After 6 h, the viability of DPSCs in soymilk, cow milk, and HBSS were 100,000±0.00, 100,000±0.00, and 74.74±5.70, respectively. After 6 h, both soymilk and cow milk maintained cells significantly better than HBSS. Conclusion: Like cow milk, soymilk is a suitable alternative transfer media for avulsed and broken teeth that can increase the survival of DPSCs.