Dissemination of messages for clinical application of dental pulp stem cells that have been stored in cell bank.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K10019
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 57040:Regenerative dentistry and dental engineering-related
• Research Institution: The Nippon Dental University
• Principal Investigator: Ohkoshi Shogo 日本歯科大学, 新潟生命歯学部, 教授 (70231199)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中原 貴 日本歯科大学, 生命歯学部, 教授 (10366768) ; 石川 博 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 研究員 (30089784)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 歯髄幹細胞 / 肝細胞 / ヒトmRNA特異的PCR / 肝炎 / 細胞生着率 / 免疫調節効果 / 歯の細胞バンク / 再生医療

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We established a highly sensitive real-time PCR system that was able to detect at least one human cell in about one million rat cells. Using this experimental system, we found that survival rate of human hepatocyte-like cell (HLC) which were derived from dental-pulp mesenchymal stem cells was quite low when transfused via portal or tail veins of rats. Survival rate of HLCs was not accelerated even animals were suffered with severe chemical hepatitis for which we previously showed that HLC infusion improved the severeness of liver injury. With the results of these experiments, we found that suppressive effects on liver injury of HLC for severe hepatitis was possibly caused by immune modulating effects of HLCs, not by direct engrafting effects of mesenchymal stem cells.

Free Research Field

再生医療

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は現在日本歯科大学で運用されている”歯の細胞バンク”の臨床応用に向けた基礎研究の１つである。歯髄間葉系幹細胞は多様な細胞に分化し、組織損傷の修復を目指した臨床応用に利用できる。本研究はこの細胞が肝細胞類似細胞に分化できることから、体内生着率をラットの肝炎モデルによって解析したものである。その目的で我々は ヒトのmRNAを特異的に認識できるプライマーを用い、肝炎モデルにおいて細胞生着を動的に解析した。この研究結果より肝炎の治療効果は歯髄細胞の免疫抑制作用によるものであることが判明し、細胞バンクの臨床応用に向けた道筋の一助となった。