The Neurovascular Properties of Dental Stem Cells and Their Importance in Dental Tissue Engineering

Within the field of tissue engineering, natural tissues are reconstructed by combining growth factors, stem cells, and different biomaterials to serve as a scaffold for novel tissue growth. As adequate vascularization and innervation are essential components for the viability of regenerated tissues,...

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Main Authors: Jessica Ratajczak, Annelies Bronckaers, Yörg Dillen, Pascal Gervois, Tim Vangansewinkel, Ronald B. Driesen, Esther Wolfs, Ivo Lambrichts, Petra Hilkens
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Stem Cells International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/9762871
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Summary:Within the field of tissue engineering, natural tissues are reconstructed by combining growth factors, stem cells, and different biomaterials to serve as a scaffold for novel tissue growth. As adequate vascularization and innervation are essential components for the viability of regenerated tissues, there is a high need for easily accessible stem cells that are capable of supporting these functions. Within the human tooth and its surrounding tissues, different stem cell populations can be distinguished, such as dental pulp stem cells, stem cells from human deciduous teeth, stem cells from the apical papilla, dental follicle stem cells, and periodontal ligament stem cells. Given their straightforward and relatively easy isolation from extracted third molars, dental stem cells (DSCs) have become an attractive source of mesenchymal-like stem cells. Over the past decade, there have been numerous studies supporting the angiogenic, neuroprotective, and neurotrophic effects of the DSC secretome. Together with their ability to differentiate into endothelial cells and neural cell types, this makes DSCs suitable candidates for dental tissue engineering and nerve injury repair.
ISSN:1687-966X
1687-9678