Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapies for Temporomandibular Joint Repair: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Studies

• Published in: Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 11; p. 990
• Main Authors: Jiang, Yuanyuan, Shi, Jiajun, Di, Wenjun, Teo, Kristeen Ye Wen, Toh, Wei Seong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.06.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Animal models; Animals; Arthritis; Bias; Bone marrow; Cartilage; Cartilage diseases; Cell migration; Citation management software; Disease Models, Animal; exosomes; extracellular vesicles; Extracellular Vesicles - metabolism; Extracellular Vesicles - transplantation; Humans; Immunomodulation; Laboratory animals; Mastication; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation - methods; Mesenchymal stem cells; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - cytology; mesenchymal stem/stromal cells; Muscles; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis - pathology; Osteoarthritis - therapy; Quality control; Secretome; Stem cells; Systematic Review; Temporomandibular joint; Temporomandibular Joint - pathology; Temporomandibular joint disorders; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders - therapy; Transplantation; Singapore; extracellular vesicles; temporomandibular joint; exosomes; osteoarthritis; cartilage; mesenchymal stem/stromal cells; secretome; systematic review
• ISSN: 2073-4409; 2073-4409
• DOI: 10.3390/cells13110990

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are a heterogeneous group of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions involving the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), masticatory muscles, and associated structures. Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising therapy for TMJ repair. This systematic review aims to consolidate findings from the preclinical animal studies evaluating MSC-based therapies, including MSCs, their secretome, and extracellular vesicles (EVs), for the treatment of TMJ cartilage/osteochondral defects and osteoarthritis (OA). Following the PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant studies. A total of 23 studies involving 125 , 149 , 470 , and 74 were identified. Compliance with the ARRIVE guidelines was evaluated for quality assessment, while the SYRCLE risk of bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias for the studies. Generally, MSC-based therapies demonstrated efficacy in TMJ repair across animal models of TMJ defects and OA. In most studies, animals treated with MSCs, their derived secretome, or EVs displayed improved morphological, histological, molecular, and behavioral pain outcomes, coupled with positive effects on cellular proliferation, migration, and matrix synthesis, as well as immunomodulation. However, unclear risk in bias and incomplete reporting highlight the need for standardized outcome measurements and reporting in future investigations.