Comparison of human dental follicle cells and human periodontal ligament cells for dentin tissue regeneration.

Aim: To compare the odontogenic potential of human dental follicle cells (DFCs) and periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs). Materials & Methods: In vitro and in vivo characterization studies of DFCs and PDLCs were performed comparatively. DFCs and PDLCs were subcutaneously implanted into the dorsum of mice for 8 weeks after combined with treated dentin matrix scaffolds respectively. Results: Proteomic analysis identified 32 differentially expressed proteins in DFCs and PDLCs. Examination of the harvested grafts showed PDLCs could form the dentin-like tissues as DFCs did. However, the structure of dentin tissues generated by DFCs was more complete. Conclusion: PDLCs could contribute to regenerate dentin-like tissues in the inductive microenvironment of treated dentin matrix. DFCs presented more remarkable dentinogenic capability than PDLCs did.