The Neurovascular Properties of Dental Stem Cells and Their Importance in Dental Tissue Engineering

Figure 1

General overview of the angiogenic and neurogenic potential of DSCs. DSCs can differentiate into endothelial cells, neurons, Schwann cells, and oligodendrocytes under specific environmental clues. More relevant for their clinical applications is the fact that DSCs have a secretome rich in proteins which have a beneficial effect on surrounding cells. DSCs secrete a wide variety of angiogenic factors, inducing endothelial cell proliferation, migration, tube formation, and thus blood vessel development. DSCs also express neurotrophic factors which protect neurons from apoptosis and induce neurite outgrowth. This figure was made with images from the Servier Medical Art by Servier.