| [ Summary ] |
Bone marrow, adipose tissue, and extracted teeth are potential sources of mesenchymal stem cells for regenerative therapies. Several isolation methods have been utilized to isolate stem cell populations from harvested tissues. We previously reported the isolation and characterization of four types of dental stem cells obtained from extracted human wisdom teeth by enzymatic digestion of the respective dental tissue for initial cell isolation, followed by low-density culture for isolating stem cell compartments. Moreover, we isolated and characterized striated muscle cells derived from the rat periodontal ligament and vascular endothelial cells derived from the dental papillae of fetal porcine deciduous tooth buds. This was performed using a combination of explant culture to obtain primary cultures and selective cell isolation of morphologically distinct cell populations within the primary cultures by using small fragments of filter paper ; this procedure is called “cell fishing.” Dental stem cells and other specific cell populations obtained from extracted teeth are useful for basic research and the development of new cell-based therapies. Practical cell-processing methods are necessary for obtaining and handling specific cell populations. |