May 13, 2003 | Masako Miura, Stan Gronthos, Mingrui Zhao, Bai Lu, Larry W. Fisher, Pamela Gehron Robey, and Songtao Shi
SHED (stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth) are multipotent stem cells isolated from the pulp of exfoliated primary teeth. These cells can differentiate into various cell types, including neural cells, adipocytes, and odontoblasts. SHED have been shown to induce bone formation, generate dentin, and survive in the mouse brain, expressing neural markers. They are distinct from previously identified stem cells and are derived from a readily accessible tissue resource, making them a promising source for potential clinical applications. SHED exhibit high proliferation rates and can form sphere-like clusters, indicating their multipotential. They can also differentiate into osteogenic and adipogenic cells, and in vivo transplantation has shown their ability to generate dentin-like structures and induce bone formation. SHED also demonstrate neural differentiation potential, expressing neural markers such as nestin, βIII-tubulin, GAD, NeuN, GFAP, NFM, and CNPase. Additionally, SHED can differentiate into adipocytes, as evidenced by Oil red O-positive lipid clusters. These findings suggest that SHED are a unique and valuable source of stem cells for regenerative medicine, including bone regeneration, tissue engineering, and neural tissue repair. The study highlights the potential of SHED as a novel stem cell resource for clinical applications.SHED (stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth) are multipotent stem cells isolated from the pulp of exfoliated primary teeth. These cells can differentiate into various cell types, including neural cells, adipocytes, and odontoblasts. SHED have been shown to induce bone formation, generate dentin, and survive in the mouse brain, expressing neural markers. They are distinct from previously identified stem cells and are derived from a readily accessible tissue resource, making them a promising source for potential clinical applications. SHED exhibit high proliferation rates and can form sphere-like clusters, indicating their multipotential. They can also differentiate into osteogenic and adipogenic cells, and in vivo transplantation has shown their ability to generate dentin-like structures and induce bone formation. SHED also demonstrate neural differentiation potential, expressing neural markers such as nestin, βIII-tubulin, GAD, NeuN, GFAP, NFM, and CNPase. Additionally, SHED can differentiate into adipocytes, as evidenced by Oil red O-positive lipid clusters. These findings suggest that SHED are a unique and valuable source of stem cells for regenerative medicine, including bone regeneration, tissue engineering, and neural tissue repair. The study highlights the potential of SHED as a novel stem cell resource for clinical applications.