Visualisation of human dental pulp vasculature by immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent detection of CD34: a comparative study.

CD34 is considered a pan-endothelial cell marker for paraffin-embedded sections. In this study, both immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were applied in human dental pulp specimens of moderate thickness (10 microm) in order to observe the vasculature of this tissue using CD34. Both techniques revealed a homogenous staining pattern with capillaries and larger vessels showing complete and strong membrane staining reflecting the high capacity of the pulp for regeneration and response to different stimuli. A novel approach in the identification of the pulpal vasculature by Cy5-conjugated anti-CD34 is introduced in this study. By this technique the dense capillary plexus of the sub-odontoblastic region, which is responsible for the reaction of the tissue to any physical or chemical stimuli or pathological condition, can be clearly identified, while immunohistochemistry did not reveal such a detailed staining pattern.