The medical potential of stem cells lies in their ability to self-renew and produce more stem cells, and in their ability to become differentiated cells in almost any tissue in the body. The reverse process, of returning somatic cells to the embryonic state , is achieved only through laboratory techniques and not naturally, or so it was thought.
A new research published in the journal Science has revealed that the cells of the nervous system spontaneously transform into stem cells inside the teeth , their pulp being an unexpected source of pluripotent cells that makes it possible to grow them for regeneration. tissue without going through embryo manipulation.
Previous research had already shown that dental pulp contained a small population of mesenchymal stem cells, a type of stem cell that can mature and shape teeth, bone, and cartilage, among other tissues. However, to date, it has not been conclusively determined where these precious cells came from. Scientists at the Karolinskade Institute in Stockholm have long been studying glial cells, which provide support for neurons that wind through the mouth and gums, and help transmit pain signals from the teeth to the brain. By adding fluorescence to them in tests with mice, they observed that they migrated from the neurons of the buccal nerves to the inside of the teeth, there they transformed into mesenchymal stem cells , and over time, into dental cells.
This evidence contradicts previous knowledge about the origin of mesenchymal stem cells, suggesting that they are born from nerve cells . Although a greater number of trials will be necessary to confirm this fact, the results outline a possible source of invaluable stem cells that, as it belongs to the individual, is exempt from any ethical dilemma.
