CHARACTERIZATION AND EXPRESSION OF NEURONAL MARKERS IN MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS FROM EXFOLIATED DECIDUOUS TEETH

Background The mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from dental tissue have an advantage in inducing neuronal differentiation compared to MSC from other tissues, for sharing the same embryonic germ of the nervous system, the ectoderm. Conventional therapies have limited effectiveness in functional recovery in neurodegenerative diseases, encouraging research for new treatments, such as with the use of MSC. Evaluating and characterizing neuronal markers in this population may facilitate a new therapeutic strategy in the regeneration and repair of neuronal cells and tissues. The aim of this study was isolate, expanded, and characterize MSC from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) and evaluate neuronal markers‘ expression. Methods The Local Research Ethics Committee approved this study (CAAE: 09537119.0.0000.0020). Healthy primary teeth (n=3) were collected from children at the PUCPR Dental Clinic. SHED were isolated by enzymatic digestion in vitro. Following the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) guidelines, the cells were characterized by flow cytometry and induced to differentiation in the osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic lineages. To evaluate these cells‘ potential and efficiency to form colonies in vitro, SHED was subjected to colony-forming units-fibroblast assay (CFU-F). In the SHED, the neuronal markers nestin and βIII-tubulin were evaluated by immunofluorescence. Results The SHED showed MSC characteristics, such as adhesion to plastic, positive immunophenotypic profile for CD105, CD73, CD56, CD90, CD29, CD166, CD44, CD146, and negative for CD45, CD34, CD14, CD19, HLA-DR and differentiation in the three lineages suggested by ISCT. The average efficiency of CFU-F formation was 16,69%. The SHEDs expressed the neuronal markers nestin and βIII-tubulin. When compared to nestin, βIII-tubulin had a higher fluorescent intensity with a significant difference (p Conclusion SHED has easily obtained cells, non-invasive collection, have MSC characteristics according to the ISCT criteria, and express the neuronal markers nestin and βIII-tubulin. This study may provide subsidies for the future use of SHED in preclinical and clinical studies to treat neurodegenerative diseases.