Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Human Periapical Cysts and Their Implications in Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells currently play an important role in the tissue engineering field in developing new regenerative approaches. The oral cavity is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells, and introducing the use of dental stem cells, characterized by a multilineage differentiation potential, immunomodulatory activity and repair capacity, offers a good perspective for clinical dentistry. Human periapical cyst mesenchymal stem cells (hPCy-MSCs) represent a new category of dental stem cells, being collected from pathological tissue and exhibiting MSCs-like properties. As studies have described, these new identified cells possess the same characteristics as those described in MSCs, exhibiting plasticity, a high proliferation rate and the potential to differentiate into osteogenic, adipogenic and neural lineages. Reusing the biological tissue that is considered pathologic offers a new perspective for the development of further clinical applications. The identification and characterization of MSCs in the human periapical cysts allows for a better understanding of the molecular interactions, the potential healing capacity and the mechanisms of inducing the local osteogenic process, integrated in the microenvironment. Although their involvement in regenerative medicine research is recent, they exhibit important properties that refer them for the development of clinical applications in dentistry.

Three-Dimensional Printing Methods for Bioceramic-Based Scaffold Fabrication for Craniomaxillofacial Bone Tissue Engineering

“…This scarcity worsens with age, further limiting the attainment of a significant osteogenic effect [ 225 ]. An additional category of dental stem cells, hPCy-MSCs, collected from pathological tissue, have been reported to exhibit MSC-like properties, such as plasticity, a high proliferation rate, and the potential to develop into osteoblasts, neurogenic-like cells, and adipocyte-like cells [ 228 ]. However, the utilization of hPCy-MSCs is limited due to the lack of evaluation of their immunomodulatory properties, and the results are predominantly derived from in vitro experiments [ 229 ].…”

Evolving Strategies and Materials for Scaffold Development in Regenerative Dentistry

“…Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the elements which are crucial to the process of tissue regeneration [64,[96][97][98]. They can be, in their entirety, quite easily extracted from various types of body tissues; however, they strictly require suitable conditions to fully prosper.…”

Towards Stem Cell Therapy for Critical-Sized Segmental Bone Defects: Current Trends and Challenges on the Path to Clinical Translation

“…Another attractive cell source for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering is dental-derived stem cells (DSCs) due to their accessibility compared to that of bone marrow or adipose-derived MSCs, low immunogenicity, robust growth capacity, and multilineage potential [ 30 ]. This category includes dental pulp-derived stem cells (DPSCs), dental follicle-derived MSCs (DFSCs), stem cells derived from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED), and periapical cysts MSCs (PCy-MSCs) [ 31 ]. DPSCs, first identified in 2000, possess multilineage potential and have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in nerve and bone regeneration.…”

“…SHED, identified in 2003, are derived from the pulp of deciduous teeth, which are typically discarded tissues. This source is highly accessible and promising, with SHED exhibiting higher proliferation rates and differentiation potential compared to DPSCs and BM-MSCs [ 31 , 33 ]. The most recent addition to dental-derived stem cells is periapical cyst-derived MSCs (hPCy-MSCs), discovered in 2013.…”