In the recent times, stem cell biology has garnered the attention of the scientific fraternity and the general public alike due to the immense therapeutic potential that it holds in the field of regenerative medicine. A breakthrough in this direction came with the isolation of stem cells from human embryo and their differentiation into cell types of all three germ layers. However, the isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from adult tissues proved to be advantageous over embryonic stem cells due to the ethical and immunological naivety. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) isolated from the bone marrow were found to differentiate into multiple cell lineages with the help of appropriate differentiation factors. Furthermore, other sources of stem cells including adipose tissue, dental pulp, and breast milk have been identified. Newer sources of stem cells have been emerging recently and their clinical applications are also being studied. In this review, we examine the eminent sources of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), their immunophenotypes, and therapeutic imminence.

Tissue resident adult stem cells are known to participate in tissue regeneration and repair that follows cell turnover, or injury. It has been well established that aging impedes the regeneration capabilities at the cellular level, but it is not clear if the different onset of stem cell aging between individuals can be predicted or prevented at an earlier stage. Here we studied the dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), a population of adult stem cells that is known to participate in the repair of an injured tooth, and its properties can be affected by aging. The dental pulp from third molars of a diverse patient group were surgically extracted, generating cells that had a high percentage of mesenchymal stem cell markers CD29, CD44, CD146 and Stro1 and had the ability to differentiate into osteo/odontogenic and adipogenic lineages. Through RNA seq and qPCR analysis we identified homeobox protein, Barx1, as a marker for DPSCs. Furthermore, using high throughput transcriptomic and proteomic analysis we identified markers for DPSC populations with accelerated replicative senescence. In particular, we show that the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) pathway and the cytoskeletal proteins are upregulated in rapid aging DPSCs, indicating a loss of stem cell characteristics and spontaneous initiation of terminal differentiation. Importantly, using metabolic flux analysis, we identified a metabolic signature for the rapid aging DPSCs, prior to manifestation of senescence phenotypes. This metabolic signature therefore can be used to predict the onset of replicative senescence. Hence, the present study identifies Barx1 as a DPSCs marker and dissects the first predictive metabolic signature for DPSCs aging.