Potential of dental pulp stem cells and their products in promoting peripheral nerve regeneration and their future applications

World Journal of Stem Cells, 2023 · DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v15.i10.960 · Published: October 26, 2023

Simple Explanation

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) seriously affects people’s quality of life. Stem cell therapy is considered a promising new option for the clinical treatment of PNI. Dental stem cells, particularly dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), are adult pluripotent stem cells derived from the neuroectoderm. DPSCs have significant potential in the field of neural tissue engineering due to their numerous advantages This article reviews research related to DPSCs and their advantages in treating PNI, aiming to summarize the therapeutic potential of DPSCs for PNI and the underlying mechanisms and providing valuable guidance and a foundation for future research.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Not specified

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
DPSCs have significant potential in neural tissue engineering due to easy isolation, multidifferentiation potential, low immunogenicity, and low transplant rejection rate.
2
DPSCs-derived Schwann cells are viable tools for achieving nerve regeneration after PNI in vitro because DPSCs originate from neural crest cells and share homology with Schwann cells.
3
DPSCs can treat PNI by promoting vascular regeneration, axonal regeneration, and myelin sheath repair, regulating the immune response, and inhibiting inflammation

Research Summary

This article reviews the potential applications of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and their derivatives in the field of nerve regeneration. This paper describes the current status of stem cell therapies for peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and discusses the advantages of DPSCs in this field. The potential of DPSCs in treating PNI and the underlying mechanism are summarized, with an aim to provide valuable guidance and a basis for future research.

Practical Implications

Cellular Therapies

DPSCs can differentiate into nerve-like cells, making them significant in nerve regeneration. Transplantation promotes macrophage polarization toward the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype.

Schwann Cell Differentiation

DPSCs can differentiate into Schwann cells, expressing neural markers and NTFs, increasing the survival of dorsal root ganglion cells and stimulating axon elongation.

Cell-Free Therapies

DPSCs secrete NTFs and cytokines promoting nerve differentiation and axonal growth, showing potential as acellular therapy for PNI. DPSCs-Exos demonstrate immunomodulatory properties.

Study Limitations

1
Electrophysiological studies are lacking in previous in vivo studies focused on the sciatic nerve and facial nerve of rats.
2
There are questions regarding whether DPSCs have the same effect on nerve crush injury and amputation injury and whether different treatment methods have different effects on different models.
3
Overcoming safety and ethical problems and avoiding tumor formation are still the keys for translating DPSCs for clinical use.

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