Molars to Medicine: A Focused Review on the Pre-Clinical Investigation and Treatment of Secondary Degeneration following Spinal Cord Injury Using Dental Stem Cells

Cells, 2024 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13100817 · Published: May 10, 2024

Spinal Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine Neurology

Simple Explanation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to lasting loss of movement, feeling, and automatic body functions. After the initial injury, a series of harmful events occur, creating an environment that hinders natural healing. Stem cells are being explored as a way to repair and restore damaged cells in the spinal cord and other brain disorders. This review looks at how mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and dental stem cells (DSCs) can reduce the effects of secondary injury after SCI. DSCs show better abilities to lessen secondary injury and create a better environment for repair. The review suggests improvements in how stem cell therapy is assessed to better understand how DSCs can help with SCI.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Not specified

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
DSCs exhibit qualities that make them advantageous to the more intensively investigated MSC neuro-regenerative therapies.
2
DSCs originate from the neural crest and express neural markers even before neural differentiation, including microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), nestin, and β-III tubulin, particularly compared to MSC expression profiles, which have the potential to aid in neural differentiation.
3
DSCs are extracted non-invasively, either from discarded dental tissue or molar tooth removal, which greatly limits the ethical considerations involved with extraction.

Research Summary

Stem cell therapy is a promising strategy for the preservation or restoration of the structure and function of the brain and spinal cord. This review discusses the mechanisms of action of dental and mesenchymal stem cells within the CNS microenvironment during secondary degeneration and constructs a translational framework of stem cell therapies of relevance to spinal cord injury. The multifunctional properties of stem cells, DSCs in particular, have a multifactorial level of control on infiltrating and resident cells and the inflammatory microenvironment that is independent of their multipotent differentiation potential.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Strategy

Stem cell therapy, particularly using DSCs, holds promise for treating spinal cord injuries by modulating the inflammatory microenvironment and promoting tissue repair.

Clinical Translation

Further research focusing on DSC viability and efficacy in attenuating secondary injury mechanisms is needed to improve the clinical translation and therapeutic success of stem cell therapies for SCI.

Comparative Effectiveness

DSCs possess superior neuro-regenerative capabilities compared to MSCs, making them a favorable option for SCI treatment. Studies are needed to elucidate the specific mechanisms behind DSCs' anti-excitotoxic and antioxidative effects.

Study Limitations

1
Limited direct comparisons between DSCs and other MSCs in the context of neuro-regeneration.
2
The review highlights a critical research gap in reporting the attenuation of biochemical events, such as glutamate excitotoxicity and oxidative stress.
3
Lack of in-depth characterization and reporting of standardized biomarkers of secondary injury in preclinical literature.

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