Cellular Properties and Expression of Pluripotent Markers in Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells Cultured in Serum-Free Medium

Introduction: The standard isolation and expansion of human Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) under invitro conditions normally involve the usage of Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS). However, its animal-origin poses possible concerns for clinically relevant procedures. This critical issue compels the use of Xenogeneic-Free (XF) or human-origin alternatives to FBS for culture expansion and differentiation of DPSCs to determine the usefulness for translating into therapeutic clinical applications. Aim: To evaluate the cellular characteristics and expression of pluripotent markers in DPSCs cultured using Serum-Containing Medium (SCM-DPSCs) and Serum-Free Medium (SFMDPSCs). Materials and Methods: This in-vitro descriptive study was conducted at NITTE (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, Karnataka, India, from June 2019 to August 2020. DPSCs were isolated from impacted third molars. The culture expanded DPSCs in serum-containing and serum-free media were analysed on their morphology, viability, proliferation rate, Population Doubling Time (PDT), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) activity, cell surface markers expression, osteogenic and adipogenic potential, and the relative expression of selected pluripotent genes. Results: The primary culture of DPSCs established in SCM and SFM showed spindle shaped fibroblastic morphology with >80% viability from passage 1 (P1) to P4. A significant (p-value