Natural compounds and mesenchymal stem cells: implications for inflammatory-impaired tissue regeneration

Abstract

Inflammation is a common and important pathological process occurring in any part of the body and relating to a variety of diseases. Effective tissue repair is critical for the survival of impaired organisms. Considering the side effects of the currently used anti-inflammatory medications, new therapeutic agents are urgently needed for the improvement of regenerative capacities of inflammatory-impaired tissues. Mesenchymal stromal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs) are characterized by the capabilities of self-renewal and multipotent differentiation and exhibit immunomodulatory capacity. Due to the ability to modulate inflammatory phenotypes and immune responses, MSCs have been considered as a potential alternative therapy for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Natural compounds (NCs) are complex small multiple-target molecules mostly derived from plants and microorganisms, exhibiting therapeutic effects in many disorders, such as osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases. Recently, increasing studies focused on the prominent effects of NCs on MSCs, including the regulation of cell survival and inflammatory response, as well as osteogenic/adipogenic differentiation capacities, which indicate the roles of NCs on MSC-based cytotherapy in several inflammatory diseases. Their therapeutic effects and fewer side effects in numerous physiological processes, compared to chemosynthetic drugs, made them to be a new therapeutic avenue combined with MSCs for impaired tissue regeneration. Here we summarize the current understanding of the influence of NCs on MSCs and related downstream signaling pathways, specifically in pathological inflammatory conditions. In addition, the emerging concepts through the combination of NCs and MSCs to expand the therapeutic perspectives are highlighted. A promising MSC source from oral/dental tissues is also discussed, with a remarkable potential for MSC-based therapy in future clinical applications.