Comparative Histological Evaluation of Stem Cell-Loaded Scaffolds in Oral and Maxillofacial Tissue Repair: A Comprehensive Analysis of Regenerative Efficacy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59675/U321Keywords:
Oral tissue engineering, Dental pulp stem cells, Scaffold technology, Histological analysis, Regenerative medicine, Bone regeneration, Angiogenesis, Tissue repair.Abstract
Aim: The objective of the research is to evaluate and compare histological and histomorphometric research of DPSC-based collagen scaffold and autologous bone graft in oral and maxillofacial tissue regeneration.
Methodology: Wistar rats were three groups of adult male rats. Critical-sized alveolar bone defect (5 x 4 mm) was generated in both the right and the left mandible ramus symmetrically in all animals. Group A was given autologous bone graft, Group B was given collagen hydrogel scaffold that was seeded with dental pulp stem cell (DPSCs), and Group C was given acellular scaffolds. Sampling of the animals was done at specified times postoperative, and the animal specimens were examined under hematoxylin and eosin, trichrome Masson and CD31 immunohistochemistry; histomorphometry was employed to measure epithelial thickness, percent collagen deposition, micro vessel density, and bone formation.
Findings: The autograft and control group had significantly lower values than Group B at 21 st days (61.5 ± 3.5 um and 39.2 ± 2.8 um respectively) in terms of epithelial thickness. The stem cell-loaded scaffold had a percentage of 64.1 ± 4.0% collagen deposition compared to that of autograft group (46.8 ± 3.5) and control group (25.3 ± 2.6), a fact that was significantly high. The number of microvessels density in group B was significantly more in each of the groups (12.1 ± 1.2 vessels/high-power field) than the group A (7.2 ± 0.8 vessels/high-power field) or group C (3.8 ± 0.3 vessels/high-power field). Quantitative bone histomorphometry revealed that day 21 Group B bone had approximately 60.3 ± 4.2% of the defect space filled with the new bone formation which was considerably greater than in the autograft group (41.7 ± 3.5%), and the control group (20.9 ± 2.6%).
Conclusion: DPSC-collagen scaffold has been established to be an improved therapeutic modality in oral and maxillofacial tissue regeneration due to the regenerative capacity of the triad components; the cell, scaffold, and the secreted bioactive molecules.
Downloads
References
Alshaibani A, Smith CA, Zahran N. Regenerative potential of human dental pulp stem cells in scaffold-based alveolar and jaw bone reconstruction: a systematic review. BMC Oral Health. 2025;25:45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06368-6
Wang H, Li Y, Chen J. Limitations of autologous bone grafts in oral and maxillofacial reconstruction. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2023;81:1245-1252.
Langer R, Vacanti JP. Tissue engineering. Science. 1993;260:920-926. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.8493529
O'Brien FJ. Biomaterials & scaffolds for tissue engineering. Mater Today. 2011;14:88-95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1369-7021(11)70058-X
Stevens MM, George JH. Exploring and engineering the cell surface interface. Science. 2005;310:1135-1138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1106587
Gronthos S, Mankani M, Brahim J, Robey PG, Shi S. Postnatal human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in vitro and in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2000;97:13625-13630. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.240309797
Miura M, Gronthos S, Zhao M, Lu B, Fisher LW, Robey PG, et al. SHED: stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2003;100:5807-5812. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0937635100
Zhang W, Walboomers XF, van Osch GJ, van den Dolder J, Jansen JA. Hard tissue formation in a porous HA/TCP ceramic scaffold loaded with stromal cells derived from dental pulp and bone marrow. Tissue Eng Part A. 2008;14:285-294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/tea.2007.0146
Tran-Hung L, Mathieu S, About I. Role of human pulp fibroblasts in angiogenesis. J Dent Res. 2006;85:819-823. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/154405910608500908
Seo BM, Miura M, Gronthos S, Bartold PM, Batouli S, Brahim J, et al. Investigation of multipotent postnatal stem cells from human periodontal ligament. Lancet. 2004;364:149-155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16627-0
Pittenger MF, Mackay AM, Beck SC, Jaiswal RK, Douglas R, Mosca JD, et al. Multilineage potential of adult human mesenchymal stem cells. Science. 1999;284:143-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.284.5411.143
Kim BS, Mooney DJ. Development of biocompatible synthetic extracellular matrices for tissue engineering. Trends Biotechnol. 1998;16:224-230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-7799(98)01191-3
Lee CH, Singla A, Lee Y. Biomedical applications of collagen. Int J Pharm. 2001;221:1-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-5173(01)00691-3
Kang Y, Wang C, Qiao Y, Gu J, Zhang H, Peijs T, et al. Tissue-engineered trachea consisting of electrospun patterned sc-PLA/GO-g-IL fibrous membranes with antibacterial property and 3D-printed skeletons with elasticity. Biomacromolecules. 2019;20:1765-1776. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.9b00160
Kumar MN, Muzzarelli RA, Muzzarelli C, Sashiwa H, Domb AJ. Chitosan chemistry and pharmaceutical perspectives. Chem Rev. 2004;104:6017-6084. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/cr030441b
Murphy SV, Atala A. 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs. Nat Biotechnol. 2014;32:773-785. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.2958
Balaji A, Jaganathan SK, Supriyanto E, Muhamad II. Biomaterials based nano-applications of Aloe vera and its perspective: a review. RSC Adv. 2014;4:3060-3076.
Singer AJ, Clark RA. Cutaneous wound healing. N Engl J Med. 1999;341:738-746. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199909023411006
Bouxsein ML, Boyd SK, Christiansen BA, Guldberg RE, Jepsen KJ, Müller R. Guidelines for assessment of bone microstructure in rodents using micro-computed tomography. J Bone Miner Res. 2010;25:1468-1486. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.141
Yamada Y, Ueda M, Naiki T, Takahashi M, Hata K, Nagasaka T. Autogenous injectable bone for regeneration with mesenchymal stem cells and platelet-rich plasma: tissue-engineered bone regeneration. Tissue Eng. 2004;10:955-964. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/1076327041348284
Gronthos S, Brahim J, Li W, Fisher LW, Cherman N, Boyde A, et al. Stem cell properties of human dental pulp stem cells. J Dent Res. 2002;81:531-535. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/154405910208100806
D'Souza RN, Cavender A, Sunavala G, Alvarez J, Ohshima T, Kulkarni AB, et al. Gene expression patterns of murine dentin matrix protein 1 (Dmp1) and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) suggest distinct developmental functions in vivo. J Bone Miner Res. 1997;12:2040-2049. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1359/jbmr.1997.12.12.2040
About I, Bottero MJ, de Denato P, Camps J, Franquin JC, Mitsiadis TA. Human dentin production in vitro. Exp Cell Res. 2000;258:33-41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/excr.2000.4909
Iohara K, Zheng L, Ito M, Tomokiyo A, Matsushita K, Nakashima M. Side population cells isolated from porcine dental pulp tissue with self-renewal and multipotency for dentinogenesis, chondrogenesis, adipogenesis, and neurogenesis. Stem Cells. 2006;24:2493-2503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1634/stemcells.2006-0161
Nakashima M, Iohara K, Sugiyama M. Human dental pulp stem cells with highly angiogenic and neurogenic potential for possible use in pulp regeneration. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2009;20:435-440. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cytogfr.2009.10.012
Kang JY, Choi YS, Kim JK, Lee EJ, Lee S, Kim JW, et al. Periodontal regeneration with a three-dimensional woven-fabric composite of human dental pulp stem cells and poly(L-lactic acid)/hydroxyapatite: an experimental study in beagle dogs. J Periodontol. 2014;85:e231-e239.
Alsberg E, Hill EE, Mooney DJ. Craniofacial tissue engineering. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 2001;12:64-75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10454411010120010501
Mohd Isa IL, Zulkiflee I, Ogaili RH, Mohd Yusoff NH, Sahruddin NN, Sapri SR, Mohd Ramli ES, Fauzi MB, Mokhtar SA. Three-dimensional hydrogel with human Wharton jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells towards nucleus pulposus niche. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023;11:1296531. doi:10.3389/fbioe.2023.1296531. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1296531
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Academic International Journal of Medical Update
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
