Stem cells derived from “inflamed” and healthy periodontal ligament tissues and their sheet functionalities: a patient‐matched comparison

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim</jats:title><jats:p>The aim of this study was to compare the properties of stem cells derived from “inflamed” and healthy periodontal ligament (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDL</jats:styled-content>) tissues from patient‐matched groups.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Material and Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Patient‐matched stem cells derived from root‐attached “inflamed” and healthy <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDL</jats:styled-content> tissues from six donors, termed I‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s and H‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s, respectively, were investigated with regard to their stem cell properties, immunomodulatory effects and capacity to form robust cell sheets for therapeutic applications.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>We found that cells derived from both sources exhibited typical mesenchymal stem cell (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">MSC</jats:styled-content>) characteristics. However, compared with H‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s, I‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s demonstrated an increased capacity to proliferate, a greater potential to migrate and a decreased capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts in vitro. When I‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s and H‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s were co‐cultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">MSC</jats:styled-content>s derived from “inflamed” <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDL</jats:styled-content> tissues exhibited impaired immunomodulation. Although I‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s led to increased collagen type I, periostin and integrin <jats:italic>β</jats:italic>1 content in the matrix, the cell sheets formed by I‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s were dysfunctional due to their impaired osteogenic/chondrogenic differentiation and tissue regeneration.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>These data provide additional evidence that I‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s are functionally compromised compared with H‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PDLSC</jats:styled-content>s. Nonetheless, their dominant abundance in the available tissues indicates that stem cells derived from damaged teeth extracted due to periodontitis warrant further exploration.</jats:p></jats:sec>