Pulp Stem Cells for Various Systemic Diseases in
Abstract: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that have multipotent
differentiation and a self-renewal ability. They have been useful not only for dental diseases, but
also for systemic diseases. Extensive studies have suggested that DPSCs are effective for various
diseases, such as spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cerebral ischemia,
myocardial infarction, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, liver diseases, eye diseases, immune diseases,
and oral diseases. DPSCs have the potential for use in a cell-therapeutic paradigm shift to treat
these diseases. It has also been reported that DPSCs have higher regenerative potential than the
bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells known as representative MSCs. Therefore, DPSCs
have recently gathered much attention. In this review, the therapeutic potential of DPSCs, the latest
progress in the pre-clinical study for treatment of these various systemic diseases, and the clinical
applications of DPSCs in regenerative medicine, are all summarized. Although challenges, including
mechanisms of the effects and establishment of cell processing and transplantation methods for
clinical use, still remain, DPSCs could be promising stem cells sources for various clinical applications,
because of their easy isolation by a noninvasive procedure without ethical concerns.
Regenerative Medicine: A Concise Review