Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells-The Regeneration Front

Abstract

The principal cells of the healthy, functional periodontal ligament are the differentiated cells and their progenitors. The differentiated cells are concerned with the synthesis and resorption of alveolar bone and the fibrous connective tissue of the ligament and cementum. It has been shown that small proportion of periodontal ligament cells are in mitosis at any given time. The cells of the periodontal ligament are also highly active metabolically; those of the rat molar turn the collagen over 5 times faster than do the fibroblast in the lamina propria of gingiva and 15 times faster than the fibroblast of skin. Progenitor cells exhibited marked differences in cytodifferentiation, suggesting that the progenitor cells that divide after wounding do not belong to a population of cells exhibiting uniform cytological characteristics, therefore it is unlikely that ultrastructural cytology can be used to identify these progenitor cells. Progenitor cells exhibited marked differences in cytodifferentiation, suggesting that the progenitor cells that divide after wounding do not belong to a population of cells exhibiting uniform cytological characteristics, therefore it is unlikely that ultrastructural cytology can be used to identify these progenitor cells. The evidence that these cells are present within the periodontal tissues was provided by McCulloch and coworkers by in vivo and histological studies.