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Hypoxia upregulates the expression of the pluripotency markers in the stem cells from human deciduous teeth

Clinical Oral Investigations Aims and scope Submit manuscript

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Abstract

Objectives

Cultivation under hypoxia promotes different responses in the mesenchymal stem cells and it has been producing promising results for clinical applications. Pulp tissue from deciduous teeth is a source of stem cells which has a high proliferative potential but this is usually discarded. This study has evaluated the effects of hypoxia on proliferation, apoptosis, and the expression of the pluripotency-related genes of the stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED).

Materials and methods

The cells were isolated from dental pulp (n = 5) and characterized as mesenchymal stem cells, in accordance with the International Society for Cell Therapy. The cells were cultivated under hypoxia (3% oxygen) and compared to the normoxia cells (21% oxygen). The proliferation rate was evaluated by the Ki67 antibody for up to 7 days, while the metabolic activity was measured by the wst-8 assay for up to 14 days. The apoptotic cells were analyzed by Annexin V and propidium iodide staining at 24 h and 4 and 7 days. The expression of the pluripotent genes (OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG) was quantified by qPCR after 24 h, or 7 days, when cultivated under hypoxia or normoxia.

Results

No differences in the metabolic activity, the proliferation rate, and the apoptosis of SHED when cultivated under hypoxia or normoxia (p > 0.05) were observed. The expression of the pluripotent genes was significantly higher after 24 h and 7 days of the cells that were exposed to hypoxia (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

These findings have indicated an increase of the pluripotency-related genes within 7 days as being the main advantage of SHED culture under hypoxia.

Clinical relevance

Hypoxia culture may help maintain the quiescent state of the SHED, which could be advantageous for their future clinical applications.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Stem Cell Research Institute, Brazil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Ramiro Barcelos 2492, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 90035-003, Brazil

    Stefanie Bressan Werle & Luciano Casagrande

  2. School of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Pedro Chagastelles

  3. Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Ipiranga, 2752/3, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Pedro Chagastelles & Patricia Pranke

  4. Hematology and Stem Cell Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Patricia Pranke

  5. Stem Cell Research Institute, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Patricia Pranke

Authors
  1. Stefanie Bressan Werle
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  2. Pedro Chagastelles
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  3. Patricia Pranke
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  4. Luciano Casagrande
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefanie Bressan Werle.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This research was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Resolution of the National Council on Ethics in Research (n. 466/2012) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments, or comparable ethical standards. The Research Committee of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (n. 27111314.3.0000.5347) approved the protocol of this study. Deciduous teeth (molars and canines) with at least one third of a physiological root resorption and which had been programed for extraction were selected from five donors, aged 8 to 12 years old. The tooth extraction was conducted at the Children and Youth Dental Clinic, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil. For the tooth collection, written informed consent was signed by the parents or guardians of the donors.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all of the individual participants that were included in the study.

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Werle, S.B., Chagastelles, P., Pranke, P. et al. Hypoxia upregulates the expression of the pluripotency markers in the stem cells from human deciduous teeth. Clin Oral Invest 23, 199–207 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-018-2427-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-018-2427-9

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