Dental stem cells: The role of biomaterials and scaffolds in developing novel therapeutic strategies

Abstract

Dental stem cells (DSCs) are self-renewable cells that can be obtained easily from dental tissues, and are a desirable source of autologous stem cells. The use of DSCs for stem cell transplantation therapeutic approaches is attractive due to their simple isolation, high plasticity, immunomodulatory properties, and multipotential abilities. Using appropriate scaffolds loaded with favorable biomolecules, such as growth factors, and cytokines, can improve the proliferation, differentiation, migration, and functional capacity of DSCs and can optimize the cellular morphology to build tissue constructs for specific purposes. An enormous variety of scaffolds have been used for tissue engineering with DSCs. Of these, the scaffolds that particularly mimic tissue-specific micromilieu and loaded with biomolecules favorably regulate angiogenesis, cell-matrix interactions, degradation of extracellular matrix, organized matrix formation, and the mineralization abilities of DSCs in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. DSCs represent a promising cell source for tissue engineering, especially for tooth, bone, and neural tissue restoration. The purpose of the present review is to summarize the current developments in the major scaffolding approaches as crucial guidelines for tissue engineering using DSCs and compare their effects in tissue and organ regeneration.

Keywords: Angiogenesis; Biomolecules; Cell transplantation; Neural crest; Regenerative medicine; Tissue engineering.

Figure 1

Schematic diagram of different sources where dental stem cells can be isolated. Various subpopulations of dental stem cells (DSCs) can be classified according to their tissue of origin. DSCs can be derived from the dental pulp stem cells, exfoliated deciduous teeth, periodontal ligament, dental follicle, apical papilla, and gingival tissue.

Figure 2

Schematic diagram of seeding dental stem cells on the hybrid scaffold, differentiation capability, and potential clinical applications for the regeneration of different tissues. DSCs: Dental stem cells.

Figure 3

Schematic overview of the optimal biomimetic environment for application in tissue engineering. Stem cells require appropriate scaffold materials as well as biomolecules and growth factors to achieve optimal therapeutic effects.