Huan Jiang

Extensive defects and functional impairments in oral and maxillofacial tissues pose significant clinical challenges, with current standard treatments facing inherent limitations. Tissue engineering, integrating seed cells, scaffolds, and bioactive factors, offers a promising regenerative approach. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) have emerged as a promising and clinically advantageous cell source due to their robust multi-lineage potency, immunomodulatory capacity, low immunogenicity, and non-invasive procurement. However, their therapeutic efficacy relies on delivery systems that ensure cell retention and fate control. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of hUCMSC-based strategies (including both cellular and exosome-mediated approaches) combined with biological scaffolds for tissue engineering. It details the biological characteristics of hUCMSCs, reviews the design, performance, and functionalization strategies (e.g., surface modification, peptide conjugation, and ionic doping) of key scaffold materials (bioceramics, biologically derived scaffolds, polymers, and composites), and highlights their applications in regenerating oral and maxillofacial bone, cartilage, periodontal, and pulp-dentin tissues. The discussion concludes with an examination of current translational challenges and future perspectives, aiming to serve as a reference for advancing next-generation regenerative therapies.

Whether external root resorption is associated with hypoxia in the periodontal ligaments of teeth with severe periodontitis remains unclear. Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression and external resorption sites in the periodontal ligaments of these teeth were observed to elaborate upon the relationship between hypoxia and external root resorption in severe periodontitis. Histological analysis was performed to observe external root resorption. The expressions of HIF-1α and Nuclear factor-activated T cells c1 (NFATc1) in the periodontal ligaments were detected by immunofluorescence, western blotting and real-time PCR. Bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) were stimulated by Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (Pg.LPS) and cultured under hypoxia in vitro. High levels of HIF-1α and NFATc1 were detected in severe periodontitis. HIF-1α positive-cells were observed in the external resorption sites. Hypoxia promoted Pg.LPS-stimulated osteoclastogenesis of BMMs and bone resorption by the NFATc1 pathway. Increased HIF-1α in severe periodontitis are associated with external root resorption by the NFATc1 pathway.