{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T12:41:36Z","timestamp":1774442496434,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,10]],"date-time":"2026-03-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773100800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"European Union\u2014NextGenerationEU","award":["BG-RRP-2.004-0004-C01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BG-RRP-2.004-0004-C01"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JFB"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Stem cell heterogeneity represents a critical yet underexplored variable in laser-assisted regenerative strategies. While photobiomodulation has been shown to influence mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) behavior, it remains unclear whether stem cell maturation status modulates responsiveness to Er,Cr:YSGG irradiation. This study investigated the differential response of magnetically separated STRO-1+ and STRO-1\u2212 SHED subpopulations to low-power Er,Cr:YSGG laser stimulation (0.10 W and 0.25 W), focusing on viability, extracellular matrix production, and lineage commitment. STRO-1+ cells comprised 13.4% \u00b1 1.2% of the total Stem Cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous teeth (SHED) population. Laser exposure did not impair metabolic activity in either subpopulation. Collagen synthesis demonstrated a power- and time-dependent increase, with maximal enhancement observed in STRO-1+ cells at 0.25 W after 7 days. Laser irradiation selectively promoted osteogenic differentiation, as evidenced by increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression at 0.10 W and enhanced mineral deposition, while chondrogenic potential remained unaffected and adipogenesis was reduced following 0.10 W exposure. These findings suggest that ALP expression is temporally and power-dependently modulated during osteogenic progression. Overall, Er,Cr:YSGG photobiomodulation does not uniformly affect heterogeneous SHED populations but modulates lineage allocation and extracellular matrix deposition in a maturation- and power-dependent manner. Integrating stem cell subpopulation selection with laser-based bioactivation may represent a strategy to refine regenerative endodontic and biomaterial-guided therapies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jfb17030138","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,10]],"date-time":"2026-03-10T14:45:39Z","timestamp":1773153939000},"page":"138","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Differential Response of Stro-1+ and Stro-1\u2212 Shed to Er,Cr:YSGG Laser Stimulation: Viability, Matrix Production and Lineage Commitment"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Zornitsa","family":"Mihaylova","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Institute of Innovative Medical Science, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3910-5147","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marina","family":"Miteva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8630-0332","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emilia","family":"Karova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Natalia","family":"Grancharova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Violeta","family":"Dogandzhiyska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7199-0035","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mirela","family":"Marinova-Takorova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1577-4362","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Krasimir","family":"Hristov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7528-590X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vanyo","family":"Mitev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Institute of Innovative Medical Science, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Evgeniy","family":"Aleksiev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8302-300X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dimitar","family":"Kosturkov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4716-7724","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nadezhda","family":"Mitova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0153-5571","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Irina","family":"Tsenova-Ilieva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4351-5579","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikolay","family":"Ishkitiev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Medical University Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"188","DOI":"10.5005\/jp-journals-10005-1432","article-title":"Soft Tissue Applications of Er,Cr:YSGG Laser in Pediatric Dentistry","volume":"10","author":"Kumar","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. 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