Functional salivary gland regeneration

Abstract

Oral health and homeostasis are maintained by the functional interactions of many organs, including the salivary glands, teeth, and tongue. Salivary gland dysfunction leads to dry mouth diseases, such as dental caries, bacterial infection, swallowing dysfunction, and reduced quality of life. The current clinical therapies for dry mouth are temporary, and they cannot repair salivary gland dysfunction. Salivary gland regenerative therapy with tissue repair and whole salivary gland replacement is a novel organ regenerative therapy. To achieve the recovery of the salivary gland function, adult tissue stem cells may be used as a cell source for salivary gland tissue repair therapies. To attain the entire salivary gland replacement therapy, which represents the next-generation regenerative therapy, we developed a novel cell manipulation method that can regenerate the ectodermal organ germ. The bioengineered salivary gland germs successfully engrafted grew in the transplantation site, generating the correct structure. The bioengineered salivary glands were able to secrete saliva into the oral cavity and improve dry mouth symptoms. In this chapter, we describe the recent progress and developmental methods for salivary gland regeneration therapy.