Mesenchymal stem cells as promoters, enhancers, and playmakers of the translational regenerative medicine 2018

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are currently being tested in preclinical and clinical trials for their ability to foster wound healing and tissue regeneration [1]. They are well known to show a therapeutic potential largely depending on their ability to secrete proregenerative cytokines, making these cells an attractive option for improving the treatment of chronic wounds. The wound microenvironment is a miscellaneous key factor in the local management of the healing process: players such as the extracellular matrix or the resident and recruited cells with paracrine activity are able to determine the way and the appropriateness of the regenerative processes [2]. Dental-derived mesenchymal stem cells (D-dMSCs) are an intriguing milestone of the regenerative medicine, with regard to their potential of differentiating into osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic lineages [3–5], possessing in this way the potential to significantly influence the bone and periodontal treatment strategies in the future [6–9]. Despite the multiple barriers to their clinical use, MSCs or D-dMSCs have shown sufficient promise to garner a primary place in the field of translational medicine. In fact, MSC and D-dMSC therapies have significant implications for human health: clinical studies are greatly needed to confirm or stimulate the basic and translational researches aimed at reaching cutting-edge results [10–13].