Effects of serum-free culture media on human apical papilla cells properties.

OBJECTIVE: Aiming at more effective and safer cell therapies, the objective of this study was to evaluate the biological properties of human apical papilla cells cultured in the absence of serum supplementation in comparison to cells cultured with fetal bovine serum (FBS). DESIGN: Two apical papilla cell populations were isolated from third molars with incomplete rhizogenesis, and cultured in four different media: minimum essential Eagle medium - alpha modification (alpha-MEM); alpha-MEM supplemented with FBS (alpha-MEM + FBS); Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium/nutrient mixture F-12 (DMEM/F12); and DMEM/F12 supplemented with FBS (DMEM/F12 + FBS). We evaluated their proliferation, clonogenicity, and in vitro osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potential. RESULTS: Apical papilla cells cultured in DMEM/F12 + FBS and alpha-MEM + FBS were more proliferative than those grown in serum-free media, and also exhibited greater efficiency in colony cell formation. Despite this, all study groups showed immunostaining for the marker of mitosis anti-PHH3. Also, alpha-MEM + FBS, alpha-MEM, and DMEM/F12 + FBS exhibited higher amount of mineralized deposits in vitro than DMEM/F12, while only cells cultured with FBS were able to form spheres in chondrogenic differentiation assay. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that, although the cultivation of apical papilla cells in a serum-free medium has reduced the properties of cell proliferation and differentiation, these cells are still capable of maintaining their desirable characteristics.