Comparing Stem Cell Characteristics of Paired Stem cells from Apical Papillae and Dental Pulps before and after Cryopreservation

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to compare stem cell characteristics between cells from the apical papilla and the dental pulp throughout 12 passages with and without being subjected to cryopreservation. The hypothesis is that with passage progress, cells are more likely to undergo senescence and lose their stem cell characteristics. The study also hypothesizes that cells from the apical papilla might display superior potency in stem cell characteristics owing to their origin from developing and therefore more immature and younger tissues.

The results of the thesis concluded that apical papilla cells were found to portray more potent osteogenic differentiation and spheroid formation abilities when compared to dental pulp cells. Both cell types displayed similar growth, colony forming efficiency, viability, population doublings, and adipogenic differentiation. Finally, apical papilla and dental pulp cells can be cryopreserved for at least one year without substantial characteristic changes.