Aim of the study was to isolate and characterize human dental pulp stem cells.
Materials and methods: Human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were isolated from three sound fully impacted third molars. DPSCs were isolated from dental pulp tissue using enzymatic digestion method. The immunophenotype of isolated cells was analyzed by flow cytometry using anti-human antibodies directed to mesenchymal cell markers CD44 and CD73 and hematopoietic cell marker CD45. Results: The obtained results revealed that 51.5% and 76.1% of the CD44 and CD73 positive cells; respectively didn't express hematopoietic cell marker CD45, which confirm that the isolated stem cells are isolated from non-hematopoietic source.
Conclusion: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are part of the mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) population and may be considered suitable for use in vital pulp therapy, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
Keywords: Characterization, Dental pulp stem cells, Mesenchymal stem cells, Pulp tissue, Regeneration, Stem cell markers.