Stem cells have unmatched medical potential: they are capable of self-renewal, producing more stem cells, and becoming any cell in any tissue in the body. And yes, also in the teeth.
A team from the University of Plymouth’s School of Dentistry Peninsula has come up with a new method based on stem cells that could be used to repair teeth, with natural tissue. The tests have so far been done in mice, but they could be the first step towards an innovative dental repair treatment in humans. So far, the only solution for tooth loss is the placement of an artificial composite or porcelain tooth.
The study, published Aug. 9 in the journal Nature Communications , shows how a gene, called Dlk1, is capable of enhancing stem cell activation and tissue regeneration in dental healing.
Dr. Bing Hu and his team (who have been collaborating with researchers around the world) discovered a new population of mesenchymal stem cells (the stem cells that make up skeletal tissue, such as muscles and bones) in a model of continuously growing mouse incisor. They showed that these cells contribute to the formation of dentin, the hard tissue that covers the main body of a tooth.
It is not the first time that studies have been done on mesenchymal stem cells in teeth. In 2014, a study by the Karolinskade Institute, in Stockholm, that the cells of the nervous system transform into stem cells inside the teeth, spontaneously, their pulp being a source of pluripotent cells. Previously, in 2012, researchers from the International University of Catalonia discovered that wisdom teeth or ‘third molars’, far from being useless, turn out to contain populations of stem cells from which tissues such as bone, hepatic and neuronal.
A group of mesenchymal stem cells (outlined in green) migrate to a tooth to further regenerate the tissue and organ.
Based on the current scientific literature, the Plymout University team made some key verifications for its subsequent clinical application in humans: first, the work showed that when these stem cells are activated, they send signals to the tissue stem cells to control the number of cells produced , through a gene called Dlk1 , this study being the first to show that Dlk1 is vital for this process to work.
Second, the researchers also showed that Dlk1 can enhance stem cell activation and tissue regeneration in a dental wound healing model. This mechanism could provide a novel solution for repairing teeth, dealing with problems such as tooth decay and decay (known as cavities) and treating trauma.
Only in mice
Although this study is tagged #inmice , it is excellent news. These first steps in an animal model are exciting, but more research is needed to validate the findings and that they can be used in clinical applications to determine the appropriate duration and dose of treatment.
Dr Hu highlighted: “Stem cells are so important that, in the future, they could be used by laboratories to regenerate tissue damaged or lost due to disease , so it is vital to understand how they work. discovering the new stem cells that make up the main body of a tooth and establishing its vital use of Dlk1 in tissue regeneration, we have taken important steps to understand stem cell regeneration. “
Source: Transit Amplifying Cells Coordinate Mouse Incisor Mesenchymal Stem Cell Activation (2019). Nature Communications (doi: 10.1038 / s41467-019-11611-0).
