Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Department of Endodontics, Hamdan Bin Mohamed College of Dental Medicine, Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018;1077:31-40. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-0947-2_3.
Biodegradable scaffolds are useful tools in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The aim of this study was to test the potential of the human stem cells of apical papilla (SCAP) to attach, proliferate and differentiate on a polycaprolactone (PCL)-based scaffolds. SCAP were extracted from the root apical papillae of freshly extracted immature premolar teeth by using enzymatic digestion. Porous PCL scaffolds were fabricated using particle leaching method and NaCl or mannitol as porogens. SCAP of passage 3 were seeded on non-porous and porous PCL scaffolds for up to 14 days. For control, cells were cultured on glass coverslips. Picogreen DNA quantification was used to assay for cell proliferation. Cell differentiation and development of calcification nodules were examined using scanning electron microscopy and alizarin red staining. SCAP showed a comparable attachment, growth and proliferation patterns on PCL scaffolds and coverslips. Cell proliferation was enhanced on mannitol scaffolds at all time points. Calcification nodules were detected in all PCL scaffolds while it was not present on glass coverslips. These nodules were detected on NaCl-scaffolds by day 7 and on mannitol and non-porous scaffolds by day 14. In conclusion, SCAP were able to attach, proliferate and differentiate on PCL scaffolds without using any inductive media, indicating their potential application for dental tissue regeneration.
可生物降解支架在组织工程和再生医学领域是一种有用的工具。本研究旨在测试人牙髓顶端干细胞（SCAP）在聚己内酯（PCL）支架上黏附、增殖和分化的潜力。通过酶消化从刚拔出的未成熟前磨牙根尖顶端乳头中提取 SCAP。采用颗粒沥滤法和 NaCl 或甘露醇作为致孔剂制备多孔 PCL 支架。将第 3 代 SCAP 接种到非多孔和多孔 PCL 支架上，培养时间长达 14 天。作为对照，细胞在玻璃载玻片上培养。使用 Picogreen DNA 定量法检测细胞增殖。通过扫描电子显微镜和茜素红染色检查细胞分化和钙化结节的形成。SCAP 在 PCL 支架和载玻片上表现出相似的黏附、生长和增殖模式。在所有时间点，甘露醇支架上的细胞增殖都增强了。所有 PCL 支架中都检测到钙化结节，而玻璃载玻片上则没有。NaCl 支架上的这些结节在第 7 天，甘露醇支架和非多孔支架上在第 14 天被检测到。总之，SCAP 能够在没有使用任何诱导介质的情况下在 PCL 支架上黏附、增殖和分化，表明其在牙科组织再生方面的潜在应用。
