Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Pig Dental Pulp

Method: Dental pulp was collected from incisors of pigs in the Department of Oral Medicine at Santa Maria Hospital, in decontamination solution and digested according to an optimized protocol. Cells were cultured and monitored for several passages. Time to confluence and morphology were analyzed. The capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts was also assessed as well as their ability to adhere to biomaterial discs. Cells and biomaterial discs were introduced in cranial defects of the respective donor pig (autologous cells).

Result: A method to isolate MSC from the pig dental pulp was optimized showing 100% efficacy. On average, around 4 million cells can be isolated per tooth by the end of passage 1. This process takes 9,5 ± 3,4 days. Further, these cells successfully underwent osteogenic differentiation in biomaterial discs. In vivo bone regeneration results on micro CT and histomorphometry will also be presented.

Conclusion: We have optimised a method to isolate and culture cells from pig dental pulp. At early passages enough cells can be cultured to use in a clinical setting. Cells in biomaterials were successfully used to treat pig cranial defects.