Oral epithelial stem cells in tissue maintenance and disease: the first steps in a long journey

Abstract

The identification and characterization of stem cells is a major focus of developmental biology and regenerative medicine. The advent of genetic inducible fate mapping techniques has made it possible to precisely label specific cell populations and to follow their progeny over time. When combined with advanced mathematical and statistical methods, stem cell division dynamics can be studied in new and exciting ways. Despite advances in a number of tissues, relatively little attention has been paid to stem cells in the oral epithelium. This review will focus on current knowledge about adult oral epithelial stem cells, paradigms in other epithelial stem cell systems that could facilitate new discoveries in this area and the potential roles of epithelial stem cells in oral disease.

Carcinogenesis in mammalian oral mucosa from the perspective of biomedical research

“…Rola nowotworowych komórek macierzystych w indukcji i progresji nowotworów Nowotworowe komórki macierzyste (CSCs -cancer steam cells) definiuje się na podstawie ich zdolności do formowania drugorzędowych guzów, po ich wyizolowaniu z guza pierwszorzędowego i przeszczepieniu do myszy z obniżoną odpornością (16).…”

Human exfoliated deciduous teeth and oral mucosa: promising applications in tissue regeneration

“…Many studies widely demonstrated the promising in vitro and in vivo TR potential of the oral MSCs. Noteworthy, the oral cavity contains different "niches" of stem cells: dental pulp from permanent and deciduous teeth, periodontal ligament, dental follicle, apical papilla and the three subtypes of mucosa: the masticatory mucosa, namely hard palate and gingiva; the specialized mucosa, represented by the dorsal surface of the tongue, and the lining mucosa, which includes buccal mucosa, the internal surface of the lips, the ventral surface of the tongue, the soft palate, and the alveolar mucosa [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] .…”

“…The demonstrated great potential of SHEDs and OMSCs 16,17,[24][25][26] and the relatively easy collecting and harvesting method, led us to suggest the opportunity to use the deciduous teeth, naturally lost in pediatric age, and/or the oral mucosa, for TR purposes of patients.…”

“…Moreover, in presence of specific factors, SHEDs showed higher proliferation and differentiation ability: chitosan scaffolds, functionalized with divalent metal phosphates, enhance the osteo-differentiation ability of SHEDs 39 If on one side it is worth discussing about SHEDs TR potential, on the other side, it is also important talking about the surprising properties of OMSCs. As described above, the human oral mucosa is divided in the masticatory, the specialized and the lining mucosa 16 . Many laboratories have worked up-to-now to analyze and characterize the different stem cell populations, contained in the oral mucosa, by the classical MSCs hallmarks as self-renewal, in vitro and in vivo multi-lineage differentiation and expression of typical stem cell markers 16 .…”

“…As described above, the human oral mucosa is divided in the masticatory, the specialized and the lining mucosa 16 . Many laboratories have worked up-to-now to analyze and characterize the different stem cell populations, contained in the oral mucosa, by the classical MSCs hallmarks as self-renewal, in vitro and in vivo multi-lineage differentiation and expression of typical stem cell markers 16 .…”