Vegetable peptones as a fetal bovine serum substitute in human deciduous tooth pulp stem cell culture.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of vegetable peptones (pea, wheat, and soy) as substitutes for fetal bovine serum in stem cell cultures derived from human exfoliated deciduous teeth.

Methods: Stem cell cultures derived from human exfoliated deciduous teeth were cultured with peptones in different concentrations [0.5%, 1%, and 5% (w/v)] and 10% fetal bovine serum (v/v) as control, and their proliferation was evaluated through the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Osteogenic differentiation was assessed using Alizarin Red to quantify calcium deposition.

Results: Wheat, soy, and pea concentrations greater than 1% were cytotoxic to stem cell cultures derived from human exfoliated deciduous teeth. In addition, a long-term study showed that pea peptones were cytotoxic. Studies with soy and wheat peptones were continued at concentrations of 0.5% (w/v), and proliferation on day 3 was greater than 50% compared with the control. Wheat peptone presented more mineralized areas than fetal bovine serum. The aminograms of the three peptones showed that the greater efficiency of wheat peptone may be related to its higher proline and glutamic acid proportions.

Conclusion: We suggest that vegetable peptones at concentrations ≤1%, particularly 1% wheat, can be used as fetal bovine serum substitutes for stem cell cultures derived from human exfoliated deciduous teeth cultivation.