LAUSR

Periodontal tissue remnants of odontogenesis constitute the dental follicle (DF) which is actually considered a stem niche in adults. However, potentialities of local endothelia within this niche seem overlooked. We thus aimed at testing the endothelial cells expression of c-kit, the progenitor cells marker, and CD68, commonly regarded as a monocyte/macrophage marker, in human DFs. We performed an immunohistochemical study using these two markers which were applied on samples collected from ten adult patients. The markers were positively expressed in endothelial cells, as well as in spindle-shaped stromal cells of the DF. The origin of DF stem or progenitor cells needs reviewing in the light of these findings, as endothelium could be a donor site for niche inhabitants.