Objectives: Various factors could interfere the biological performance of DPSCs during post-thawed process. Yet, little has been known about optimization of the recovery medium for DPSCs. Thus, our study aimed to explore the effects of adding recombinant bFGF on DPSCs after 3-month cryopreservation as well as the underlying mechanisms.
Materials and methods: DPSCs were extracted from impacted third molars and purified by MACS. The properties of CD146+ DPSCs (P3) were identified by CCK-8 and flow cytometry. After cryopreservation for 3 months, recovered DPSCs (P4) were immediately supplied with a series of bFGF and analysed cellular proliferation by CCK-8. Then, the optimal dosage of bFGF was determined to further identify apoptosis and TRPC1 channel through Western blot. The succeeding passage (P5) from bFGF pre-treated DPSCs was cultivated in bFGF-free culture medium, cellular proliferation and stemness were verified, and pluripotency was analysed by neurogenic, osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation.
Results: It is found that adding 20 ng/mL bFGF in culture medium could significantly promote the proliferation of freshly thawed DPSCs (P4) through suppressing apoptosis, activating ERK pathway and up-regulating TRPC1. Such proliferative superiority could be inherited to the succeeding passage (P5) from bFGF pre-stimulated DPSCs, meanwhile, stemness and pluripotency have not been compromised.
Conclusions: This study illustrated a safe and feasible cell culture technique to rapidly amplify post-thawed DPSCs with robust regenerative potency, which brightening the future of stem cells banking and tissue engineering.
Keywords: basic fibroblast growth factor; cell culture technique; cryopreservation; dental pulp stem cells; extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway; transient receptor potential canonical 1 channel.
© 2020 The Authors. Cell Proliferation Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.