Abstract
Stem cells isolated from exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) are highly capable of proliferation and differentiation, and they represent good cell sources for mesenchymal stem cell- (MSC-) mediated dental tissue regeneration, but the supply of SHEDs is limited. A previous study found that stem cells could be isolated from inflamed tissues, but it is unknown whether primary dental pulp diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis might contain stem cells with appropriate tissue regeneration capacity. In this study, we aimed to isolate stem cells from both inflamed pulps of deciduous teeth (SCIDs) and SHEDs from Chinese children and to compare their proliferation and differentiation potentials. Our results showed that SCIDs were positive for cell surface markers, including CD105, CD90, and CD146, and they had high proliferation ability and osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation potentials. There was no significant difference in proliferation and differentiation potentials between SCIDs and SHEDs. The mRNA of inflammatory factors, including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, was expressed at similar levels in SCIDs and SHEDs, but SCIDs secreted more TNF-α protein. In conclusion, our in vitro results showed that SCIDs have proliferation and differentiation potentials similar to those of SHEDs. Thus, SCIDs represent a new potentially applicable source for MSC mediated tissue regeneration.