Periodontitis is an infectious oral disease, which leads to the destruction of periodontal tissues and tooth loss. Although the treatment of periodontitis has improved recently, the effective treatment of periodontitis and the periodontitis-affected periodontal tissues is still a challenge. Therefore, it is urgent to explore new therapeutic strategies for periodontitis. Natural products show anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and bone protective effects to periodontitis and most of these natural products are safe and cost-effective. Among these, the plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs), a type of natural nanocarriers repleted with lipids, proteins, RNAs, and other active molecules, show the ability to enter mammalian cells and regulate cellular activities. Reports from the literature indicate the great potential of PELNs in the regulation of immune functions, inflammation, microbiome, and tissue regeneration. Moreover, PELNs can also be used as drug carriers to enhance drug stability and cellular uptake in vivo. Since regulation of immune function, inflammation, microbiome, and tissue regeneration are the key phenomena usually targeted during periodontitis treatment, the PELNs hold the promising potential for periodontitis treatment. This review summarizes the recent advances in PELNs-related research that are related to the treatment of periodontitis and regeneration of periodontitis-destructed tissues and the underlying mechanisms. We also discuss the existing challenges and prospects of the application of PELNs-based therapeutic approaches for periodontitis treatment.

Serine incorporator (SERINC) proteins 1–5 (SERINC1-5) are involved in the progression of several diseases. SERINC2-4 are carrier proteins that incorporate the polar amino acid serine into membranes to facilitate the synthesis of phosphatidylserine and sphingolipids. SERINC genes are also differentially expressed in tumors. Abnormal expression of SERINC proteins occurs in human cancers of the breast, lung, colon, liver, and various glands, as well as in mouse testes. SERINC proteins also affect cleft lip and palate and nerve-related diseases, such as seizure Parkinsonism and borderline personality. Moreover, SERINC proteins have garnered significant interest as retroviral restriction factors, spurring efforts to define their function and elucidate the mechanisms through which they operate when associated with viruses. Human SERINC proteins possess antiviral potential against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), SARS-COV-2, murine leukemia virus (MLV), equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV). Furthermore, the crystal structure is known, and the critical residues of SERINC5 that act against HIV have been identified. In this review, we discuss the most prevalent mechanisms by which SERINC3 and SERINC5 antagonize viruses and focus on the potential therapeutic applications of SERINC5/3 against HIV.

Autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are more easily available and frequently used for bone regeneration in clinics. Osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs involves complex regulatory networks affecting bone formation phenomena. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) refer to RNAs that do not encode proteins, mainly including microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs, piwi-interacting RNAs, transfer RNA-derived small RNAs, etc. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies had revealed the regulatory role of ncRNAs in osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. NcRNAs had both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. During the physiological condition, osteo-stimulatory ncRNAs are upregulated and osteo-inhibitory ncRNAs are downregulated. The opposite effects might occur during bone degenerative disease conditions. Intracellular ncRNAs and ncRNAs from neighboring cells delivered via exosomes participate in the regulatory process of osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the regulatory role of ncRNAs on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs during physiological and pathological conditions. We also discuss the prospects of the application of modulation of ncRNAs function in BMSCs to promote bone tissue regeneration in clinics.