{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ScholarlyArticle","headline":"Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells into Neuron-Like Cells in Serum-Free Medium","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shahrul Hisham Zainal Ariffin"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Shabnam Kermani"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Intan Zarina Zainol Abidin"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Rohaya Megat Abdul Wahab"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Zulham Yamamoto"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Sahidan Senafi"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Zaidah Zainal Ariffin"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Mohamad Abdul Razak"}],"datePublished":"2013","isPartOf":{"@type":"Periodical","name":"Stem Cells International"},"identifier":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/250740","description":"Dental pulp tissue contains dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Dental pulp cells (also known as dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells) are capable of differentiating into multilineage cells including neuron-like cells. The aim of this study was to examine the capability of DPSCs to differentiate into neuron-like cells without using any reagents or growth factors. DPSCs were isolated from teeth extracted from 6- to 8-week-old mice and maintained in complete medium. The cells from the fourth passage were induced to differentiate by culturing in medium without serum or growth factors. RT-PCR molecular analysis showed characteristics ofCd146+,Cd166+, andCd31−in DPSCs, indicating that these cells are mesenchymal stem cells rather than hematopoietic stem cells. After 5 days of neuronal differentiation, the cells showed neuron-like morphological changes and expressed MAP2 protein. The activation ofNestinwas observed at low level prior to differentiation and increased after 5 days of culture in differentiation medium, whereasTub3was activated only after 5 days of neuronal differentiation. The proliferation of the differentiated cells decreased in comparison to that of the control cells. Dental pulp stem cells are induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells when cultured in serum- and growth factor-free medium.","url":"https://innscience.ca/en/community/literature/doi_10_1155_2013_250740"}