Mesenchymal Stem Cells of Dental Origin-Their Potential for Anti-inflammatory and Regenerative Actions in Brain and Gut Damage

Current Neuropharmacology, 2016 · DOI: 10.2174/1570159X14666160121115210 · Published: January 21, 2016

Regenerative Medicine Immunology Neurology

Simple Explanation

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain/spinal cord injuries, and multiple sclerosis share common characteristics like tissue destruction and inflammation. Similarly, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) involves tissue damage from uncontrolled inflammation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), found in dental pulp and periodontal ligaments, can transform into various tissue-specific cells for regeneration. They also modulate the immune system by inhibiting pro-inflammatory processes and stimulating anti-inflammatory mechanisms. This review compares the immunopathomechanisms of neurodegenerative, neurotraumatic, and neuroinflammatory diseases with IBD, and explores the use of dental-origin MSCs for treatment, aiming to advance treatment options for inflammatory degeneration in central and peripheral disorders.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Not specified

Evidence Level

Review Article

Key Findings

1
MSCs of dental origin have multiple differentiation potential towards osteogenic and odontodenic directions as well as neurogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic lineages.
2
DPSCs were shown to inhibit the proliferation of stimulated T cells indicating that DPSCs could be suitable to suppress T cell-mediated graft-versus-host reaction in bone marrow transplantation.
3
DPSCs promoted locomotor recovery after complete transection of the rat spinal cord by activating multiple mechanisms including the direct induction of endogenous axon guidance.

Research Summary

Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, are classically categorized as rather different diseases of the CNS, recent data indicate that they are all characterized by tissue damage due to an inappropriate inflammatory/immune response. Conventional pharmacological and surgical therapies are not sufficient to prevent, slow down or stop these processes, or to promote the regeneration of damaged tissue. Since mesenchymal stem cells potentially offer solution for both problems, the treatment of neuronal and gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases with MSCs is an emerging area of great interest. Thus, the use of MSCs from different sources (including the dental pulp and the periodontal ligament) represent a very promising approach to treat diseases involving immune-mediated tissue destruction, either in the gastrointestinal or in the central nervous system.

Practical Implications

Potential Therapeutic Target

Mesenchymal stem cells can be further explored as a potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative, neurotraumatic, and inflammatory diseases.

Immunomodulatory Effects

MSCs modulate the induction of CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells, and exhibit marked anti-proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects, leading to the reduction of inflammation.

Regenerative Medicine

Stem cells of dental origin represent a high, but a yet not fully explored potential for treating neurodegenerative traumatic, and inflammatory diseases independent whether they appear in the central nervous system, the gut or other organs.

Study Limitations

1
Human therapeutic use requires far more preclinical and clinical investigations.
2
Efficacy of stem cell treatment even in a well-defined disease model could be variable, depending on the preconditioning, timing, administration, species and probably by a number of presently unidentified factors.
3
Nature of reprogramming process of iPSCs remains obscure, and the developmental potential of iPSCs derived by different methods from different tissues is unknown as yet.

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