Purpose: To observe the effect of coculture of stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAPs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on the angiogenic potential of dental pulp tissues.
Methods: SCAPs were incubated in osteo/odontogenic, adipogenic, neurogenic induction medium and α-MEM medium, whose multilineage differentiation capacities were confirmed using alizarin red staining, oil red O staining and βIII-tubulin immunofluorescent staining. The tubular length, branching points number and junctional areas were detected after 3, 6, 9 h since cells were seeded onto matrigel, and the data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software package.
Results: SCAPs in the experimental groups were detected having more lipid droplets, mineralization nodules and neuron-like cells. Coculture of SCAPs and HUVECs formed more vessel-like structures in tubular formation assay.
Conclusions: SCAPs are capable of differentiating into fat, bone, and nerve-like cells in vitro. Coculture of SCAPs and HUVECs can enhance the angiogenic potential of dental pulp tissues.