The basic study for early closure of alveolar clefts using human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19301
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57070:Developmental dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Meikai University
• Principal Investigator: SHINAGAWA Rei 明海大学, 歯学部, 助教 (90818296)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 再生医療 / 唇顎口蓋裂 / 臍帯由来間葉系幹細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The alveolar cleft causes the morphological and functional abnormality in cleft lip and palate patients. Recently, gingivoperiosteoplasty (GPP) is performed with cheiloplasty for early closure of the alveolar cleft. At GPP, regenerative medicine using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is expected to improve the bone bridge formation between alveolar clefts. In this study, we examined the bone formation ability of MSCs derived from the human umbilical cord (hUC) by transplantation into the rat alveolar cleft model. Cells derived from hUC showed MSC gene/surface marker expression and multipotency in vitro. The results of micro computed tomography and histological staining showed that the cells derived from hUC induced more abundant bone formation than scaffold implantation solely in vivo.

Free Research Field

歯科矯正学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

骨髄液とは異なり、臍帯はその採取が極めて容易で、患児や母体に対する侵襲性もないため、臨床応用を想定した時の利便性に優れている。また、従来MSCsの培養にはウシ胎仔血清（fetal bovine serum: FBS）含有培養液が多用されているが、FBSの使用は、プリオンや病原性ウイルスなどの未知の感染因子の混入や免疫反応などのリスクを伴う可能性がある。異種成分を含まない（ゼノフリー）無血清培養臍帯由来幹細胞を使用した顎裂部骨再生の臨床応用が可能となれば、唇顎口蓋裂児のQOL向上に繋がる。本研究で得られた知見は、唇顎口蓋裂以外の歯槽部骨欠損の再建を目的とした歯科の再生医療においても有用である。