Cell homing strategy as a promising approach to the vitality of pulp-dentin complexes in endodontic therapy: focus on potential biomaterials

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Over the last two decades, an increasing body of research suggests that well-designed biomaterials can attract resident stem cells to injured areas and control their behaviors and activities to encourage tissue regeneration. Fabricated biomaterials can enhance cell recruitment, multiplication, and transformation while also acting as a delivery system for targeted cells. These capabilities might play a role in their ability to promote tooth regeneration.

Areas covered

This review aims to introduce the various materials used in endodontics. The potential of biomaterial-based approaches involved in cell homing for endodontics is also discussed.

Expert opinion

Applying the cell homing technique in restorative dentistry can affect various aspects of healthcare, industry, economy, and science. Biomaterial scaffolds can be used to encapsulate cells or for structural replacements. Also, both cell transplantation and cell homing are legitimate scientific procedures in endodontic therapy. Although the suggested biomaterials and procedures may hold promise for future dental pulp tissue regeneration, tooth structure’s complexity and multicellular interconnections lead to significant problems that need to be overcome before any clinical trial.

KEYWORDS:

• Cell homing
• tooth regeneration
• biomaterial
• stem cells

Article highlights

• Tooth tissue is a unique source of stem cells for the cell homing process.

• In dental tissue engineering, cell homing is a superior technique that involves growth agents and biomaterials.

• Fabrication of biomaterial composition in cell homing technology has the potential to recruit cells into the tooth cavity, stimulate proliferation and differentiation, and induce differentiation into the target tissue.

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the drafting and scientific revision of the manuscript.

Declaration of interests

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was funded with support from the Vice-Chancellor for Research at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences under grant number 70993.