Adult stem cells and tissue engineering strategies for salivary gland regeneration: a review.
Saliva is an important compound produced by the salivary glands and performs numerous functions. Hyposalivation (dry mouth syndrome) is a deleterious condition often resulting from radiotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer, Sjogren's Syndrome, or as a side effect of certain medications. Hyposalivation negatively affects speaking, mastication, and swallowing in afflicted patients, greatly reducing their quality of life. Current treatments for this pathology include modifying lifestyle, synthetic saliva supplementation, and the utilization of salivary gland stimulants and sialagogues. However, many of these treatments do not address the underlying issues and others are pervaded by numerous side effects. In order to address the shortcomings related to current treatment modalities, many groups have diverted their attention to utilizing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches. Tissue engineering is defined as the application of life sciences and materials engineering toward the development of tissue substitutes that are capable of mimicking the structure and function of their natural analogues within the body. The general underlying strategy behind the development of tissue engineered organ substitutes is the utilization of a combination of cells, biomaterials, and biochemical cues intended to recreate the natural organ environment. The purpose of this review is to highlight current bioengineering approaches for salivary gland tissue engineering and the adult stem cell sources used for this purpose. Additionally, future considerations in regard to salivary gland tissue engineering strategies are discussed.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Shelby Building 806, 1825 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA ; Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 59 Yatap-ro, Gyeonggi-do, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, 463-712 South Korea.
Chankee
C
Yoo
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Shelby Building 806, 1825 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA.
Jeremy B
JB
Vines
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Shelby Building 806, 1825 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA.
Grant
G
Alexander
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Shelby Building 806, 1825 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA.
Kyle
K
Murdock
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Shelby Building 806, 1825 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA.
Patrick
P
Hwang
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Shelby Building 806, 1825 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA.
Ho-Wook
HW
Jun
Hyposalivation; Mesenchymal stem cells; Salivary gland; Tissue engineering; Xerostomia