Elucidation of calcified tissue regeneration mechanism using dental pulp cells

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Dental pulp cells are considered to be a promising tool for the regeneration of hard tissues, due to their multipotency. The goal of the present study is to establish a simple method of regenerating hard tissue using dental pulp cells. Toward this end, we characterized dental pulp cells in comparison with osteoblasts and explored the mechanism of calcification. Mouse dental pulp cells exhibited strong alkaline phosphatase and extracellular matrix calcification activity even in the absence of exogenous rhBMP-2.A Genechip analysis showed the overall gene expression in dental pulp cells to be similar to that in osteoblasts, though dental pulp cells expressed higher levels of BMPs, annexin A8(a Ca channel), and solute carrier protein 20a2(Slc20a2)(a Pi transporter) than osteoblasts. The transplanted dental pulp cells into immunodeficiency mice exert bone regenerative activity in vivo.