A hydrogel scaffold that maintains viability and supports differentiation of dental pulp stem cells

Objectives. The clinical translation of stem cell-based Regenerative Endodontics demands further development of suitable injectable scaffolds. Puramatrix (TM) is a defined, self-assembling peptide hydrogel which instantaneously polymerizes under normal physiological conditions. Here, we assessed the compatibility of Puramatrix (TM) with dental pulp stem cell (DPSC) growth and differentiation. Methods. DPSC cells were grown in 0.05-0.25% Puramatrix (TM). Cell viability was measured colorimetrically using the WST-1 assay. Cell morphology was observed in 3D modeling using confocal microscopy. In addition, we used the human tooth slice model with Puramatrix (TM) to verify DPSC differentiation into odontoblast-like cells, as measured by expression of DSPP and DMP-1. Results. DPSC survived and proliferated in Puramatrix (TM) for at least three weeks in culture. Confocal microscopy revealed that cells seeded in Puramatrix (TM) presented morphological features of healthy cells, and some cells exhibited cytoplasmic elongations. Notably, after 21 days in tooth slices containing Puramatrix (TM), DPSC cells expressed DMP-1 and DSPP, putative markers of odontoblastic differentiation. Significance. Collectively, these data suggest that self-assembling peptide hydrogels might be useful injectable scaffolds for stem cell-based Regenerative Endodontics. (c) 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.