Recent progress in regenerative therapy for damaged salivary glands: From bench to bedside

For functional restoration of salivary glands (SGs) injured by radiation therapy or Sjögren's syndrome (SS), various experimental approaches, such as gene therapy, tissue engineering, and cell-based therapy, have been proposed. This narrative review summarized recent progresses in research using cell-based therapies, including promising trials that could lead to bench-to-clinic applications.

A literature review based on PubMed publications in the last two decades was performed to summarize progresses in cell-based therapies for SG dysfunction.

Over 100 experimental studies have shown the therapeutic potential of several types of cells, such as SG stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells, as well as effectively conditioned mononuclear cells, in both radiation injury and SS animal models. These therapies affect to slow fibrosis progression and stimulate tissue regeneration in atrophic glands. However, to date, only a total of seven studies have been developed to the stage of clinical study, showing the safety and preliminary efficacy.

To lead the radical effectiveness expected in cell-based therapy, advances in reverse translational research and in innovative experimental research, based on the findings of recent clinical studies, will be critical in the next decade.