Side population cells in human oral mucosa

OBJECTIVES: Th existence of stem cells in oral mucosa, are unknown. Side population (SP) cells are defined as cells that have the ability to exclude the DNA binding dye, Hoechst 33342. They are regarded as a cell population enriched with stem cells. This study was designed to determine whether SP cells exist in oral mucosa, at least in gingival. METHODS: healthy human gingival was obtained and oral epithelial was cultured and proliferated. Flow fluorimetry and dual laser FACS-Vantage SE were used to detect Hoechst 33342 non-stained cells. RESULTS: The number of SP cells in human gingival epithelia was about 0.2% of the total number of cells. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study demonstrated the existence of SP cells in human oral mucosa. Their phenotype and stem cell characteristic need further studies.