title: Regenerative medicine using dental pulp stem cells for liver diseases.
abstract: Acute liver failure is a refractory disease and its prognosis, if not treated using liver transplantation, is extremely poor. It is a good candidate for regenerative medicine, where stem cell-based therapies play a central role. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known to differentiate into multiple cell lineages including hepatocytes. Autologous cell transplant without any foreign gene induction is feasible using MSCs, thereby avoiding possible risks of tumorigenesis and immune rejection. Dental pulp also contains an MSC population that differentiates into hepatocytes. A point worthy of special mention is that dental pulp can be obtained from deciduous teeth during childhood and can be subsequently harvested when necessary after deposition in a tooth bank. MSCs have not only a regenerative capacity but also act in an anti-inflammatory mannerviaparacrine mechanisms. Promising efficacies and difficulties with the use of MSC derived from teeth are summarized in this review.
authors.affiliation: Shogo Ohkoshi, Hajime Hara, Haruka Hirono, Kazuhiko Watanabe, Katsuhiko Hasegawa, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Nippon Dental University, Chuo-ku 951-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohkoshi
authors.affiliation: Shogo Ohkoshi, Hajime Hara, Haruka Hirono, Kazuhiko Watanabe, Katsuhiko Hasegawa, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Nippon Dental University, Chuo-ku 951-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.affiliation: Shogo Ohkoshi, Hajime Hara, Haruka Hirono, Kazuhiko Watanabe, Katsuhiko Hasegawa, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Nippon Dental University, Chuo-ku 951-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirono
authors.affiliation: Shogo Ohkoshi, Hajime Hara, Haruka Hirono, Kazuhiko Watanabe, Katsuhiko Hasegawa, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Nippon Dental University, Chuo-ku 951-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Shogo Ohkoshi, Hajime Hara, Haruka Hirono, Kazuhiko Watanabe, Katsuhiko Hasegawa, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Nippon Dental University, Chuo-ku 951-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
keywords: Dental pulp; Liver disease; Mesenchymal stem cell; Regenerative medicine; Tooth bank