Background. Pericytes play an important role in forming functional blood vessels and establishing stable and effective microcirculation, which is crucial for vascular tissue engineering. The slow ex vivo expansion rate, limited proliferative capacity, and variability of tissue-specific phenotypes would hinder experimental studies and clinical translation of primary pericytes. In this study, the angiogenic and pericyte functions of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) and postnatal human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were investigated. Methods. Osteogenic and adipogenic induction assays were performed to evaluate the mesenchymal potential of SHEDs, DPSCs, and pericytes. An in vitro Matrigel angiogenesis assay was conducted to reveal the ability of SHEDs, DPSCs, and pericytes to stabilize vascular-like structures. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to evaluate mRNA expression. Flow cytometry, western blotting, and immunostaining were used to assess the protein expression. Wound healing and transwell assays were performed to evaluate the migration ability of SHEDs, DPSCs, and pericytes. Results. The osteogenic and adipogenic induction assays showed that SHEDs, DPSCs, and pericytes exhibited similar stem cell characteristics. The mRNA expression levels of PDGFR-β, α-SMA, NG2, and DEMSIN in SHEDs and DPSCs cultured in EC medium were significantly higher than those in the control groups on day 7 (), but significantly higher than those in the pericytes group on day 14 (). Flow cytometry showed that high proportions of SHEDs and DPSCs were positive for various pericyte markers on day 7. The DPSCs, SHEDs, and pericytes displayed strong migration ability; however, there was no significant difference among the groups (). Conclusion. The SHEDs and DPSCs display a profile similar to that of pericytes. Our study lays a solid theoretical foundation for the clinical use of dental pulp stem cells as a potential candidate to replace pericytes.

中文翻译：

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来自人类脱落的乳牙 (SHED) 和牙髓干细胞 (DPSC) 的干细胞显示出与周细胞相似的特征

背景。周细胞在形成功能性血管和建立稳定有效的微循环方面发挥着重要作用，这对血管组织工程至关重要。缓慢的离体扩增速率、有限的增殖能力和组织特异性表型的变异性将阻碍原代周细胞的实验研究和临床转化。在这项研究中，研究了来自人类脱落乳牙 (SHEDs) 和出生后人类牙髓干细胞 (DPSCs) 的干细胞的血管生成和周细胞功能。方法. 进行成骨和脂肪形成诱导测定以评估 SHED、DPSC 和周细胞的间充质潜力。进行体外基质胶血管生成试验以揭示 SHED、DPSC 和周细胞稳定血管样结构的能力。进行定量实时聚合酶链反应 (RT-qPCR) 以评估 mRNA 表达。流式细胞术、蛋白质印迹和免疫染色用于评估蛋白质表达。进行伤口愈合和 transwell 测定以评估 SHED、DPSC 和周细胞的迁移能力。结果。成骨和成脂诱导试验表明，SHED、DPSC 和周细胞表现出相似的干细胞特征。PDGFR- β、α的mRNA表达水平-在EC培养基中培养的SHEDs和DPSCs中的SMA、NG2和DEMSIN在第7天显着高于对照组（)，但在第 14 天显着高于周细胞组 (）。流式细胞仪显示，高比例的 SHEDs 和 DPSCs 在第 7 天对各种周细胞标志物呈阳性反应。DPSCs、SHEDs 和周细胞显示出较强的迁移能力；然而，各组之间没有显着差异（）。 结论。SHED 和 DPSC 显示出类似于周细胞的轮廓。我们的研究为临床使用牙髓干细胞作为替代周细胞的潜在候选者奠定了坚实的理论基础。