Published online Oct 26, 2023. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v15.i10.960
Peer-review started: July 30, 2023
First decision: September 27, 2023
Revised: October 7, 2023
Accepted: October 23, 2023
Article in press: October 23, 2023
Published online: October 26, 2023
Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) seriously affects people’s quality of life. Stem cell therapy is considered a promising new option for the clinical treatment of PNI. Dental stem cells, particularly dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), are adult pluripotent stem cells derived from the neuroectoderm. DPSCs have significant potential in the field of neural tissue engineering due to their numerous advantages, such as easy isolation, multidifferentiation potential, low immunogenicity, and low transplant rejection rate. DPSCs are extensively used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, including for the treatment of sciatic nerve injury, facial nerve injury, spinal cord injury, and other neurodegenerative diseases. This article reviews research related to DPSCs and their advantages in treating PNI, aiming to summarize the therapeutic potential of DPSCs for PNI and the underlying mechanisms and providing valuable guidance and a foundation for future research.
Core Tip: This article reviews the potential applications of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and their derivatives in the field of nerve regeneration. First, this paper describes the current status of stem cell therapies for peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and discusses the advantages of DPSCs in this field. Then, the status of research on the neuroregenerative ability of DPSCs and their derivatives is reviewed. Finally, the potential of DPSCs in treating PNI and the underlying mechanism are summarized, with an aim to provide valuable guidance and a basis for future research.