Stem Cell Gingival Tissue Can Help Fight Inflammatory Disease

A new study shows that stem cells found in gum tissue may be able to help fight inflammatory disease.

According to researchers at the new Ostrow School of Denistry of USC, cells featured in the study known as gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSC) that are commonly found in the gingiva tissue have the ability to develop into different types of cells and dramatically affect the immune system.

"Gingiva is very unique in our body," said Professor Songtao Shi, the study's senior author, via a press release. "It has much less inflammatory reaction and heals much faster when compared to skin."

According to researchers, this study illustrates the two types of GMSC: those that can arise from the mesoderm layer of cells during embryonic development and those that come from cranial neural crest cells. The cranial crest cells develop into many important structures, 90 percent of which were found to be N-GMSC.

Those these two types vary dramatically in their abilities, they both shared a healing effect on inflammatory cells.

The study shows how stem cells in the gingiva can be obtained via a simple biopsy of the gums that may provide important medical applications in the future.

"We will further work on dissecting the details of the gingiva stem cells, especially their notable immunoregulatory property," said first author Xingtian Xu, specialized lab technician at the Ostrow School of Dentistry Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, via the release. "Through the study of this unique oral tissue, we want to shed the light on the translational applications for improving skin wound healing and reducing scar formation."

More information regarding the findings can be found in the Journal of Dental Research.