Dental Follicle Stem Cells: Tissue Engineering and Immunomodulation

Dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs), which are the stem cells present in the dental follicle tissue of the tooth germ and are derived from the neural crest, are direct precursor cells of periodontal tissues and can form the periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone proper in the late stage of tooth development. DFSCs have the ability to achieve osteogenic, adipogenic, chondrogenic, neural, and cardiomyocytic differentiation in a specific induced environment. Recently, isolated dental follicle epithelial stem cells from DFSCs were also found to have the ability to form salivary gland cells and ductal cells. In recent years, DFSCs have also been reported to play an active role in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and autoimmune diseases in animal models. Therefore, DFSCs could not only be used as a good seed source for tissue regeneration but also provide new treatment strategies for autoimmune diseases. The study of DFSCs in tissue regeneration and immunoregulation has developed from in vitro experiments to animal experiments. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in our understanding of DFSCs in tissue regeneration and immunomodulation. We expect DFSCs to be considered for stem cell-based therapies in the future.