Cardiomyotic induction and proliferation of dental stem cells on electrospun scaffolds

Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are a unique source of stem cells because they are relatively easy to obtain and harvest from discarded teeth. While they could differentiate into neurons, adipocytes, osteoblasts, and myocytes, little is known whether they can differentiate into cardiomyocytes. The potential use of a biomaterial scaffold to deliver cardiomyocytes to the site of damaged heart tissue for cellular therapy is an attractive concept. Gelatin-B and poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) were selected for the present study. The gelatin-B and PLGA scaffolds were constructed using an electro-spinning technique. SHED cells proliferate in both PLGA scaffolds and gelatin-B scaffolds and maintain adequate viability as determined with calcein-AM staining and DNA quantification. SHED cells were treated with a predetermined optimized cardio-treatment protocol. qPCR analysis of the cardiomyotic genes, MEF2.C, Cx-43, TNNT2.C, Nkx2.5, and GATA-4, showed that SHED cells differentiated on PLGA significantly upregulated these cardiogenic markers compared to SHED cells cultured in control media. In summary, we demonstrate the growth and cardiomyogenesis of SHED cells on electrospun gelatin and PLGA scaffolds. Further development of our research concepts for cardiovascular regeneration using in vivo research and clinical trials, could allow the development of therapies involving the delivery of cardiomyocytes differentiated from SHED using electrospun scaffolds to the site of damaged heart tissue.