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REVIEW article

Front. Oral. Health
Sec. Preventive Dentistry
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1423226

MicroRNA functions in osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells: A scoping review

Provisionally accepted
Pirawish Limlawan Pirawish Limlawan 1*Anjalee Vacharaksa Anjalee Vacharaksa 2*
  • 1 Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Thailand
  • 2 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Thailand

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This scoping review aimed to describe the differential microRNA (miRNA) functions in osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), and then analyze the potential of applying PDLSCs and miRNAs in bone regeneration. The databases of PubMed, Google Scholar and EBSCO search were performed by the 4 themes, including periodontal ligament stem cells, miRNA, osteogenic differentiation, and tissue regeneration. The original articles described miRNA functions in osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs were identified and selected for content analyze. The articles suggested that PDLSCs have high potential in bone regeneration because of their multipotency and immunomodulation. PDLSCs are conveniently accessible and obtained from extracted teeth. However, recent evidence reported that PDLSCs of various origins demonstrate differential characteristics of osteogenic differentiation. Exosomal miRNAs of PDLSCs demonstrate a regulatory role in tissue regeneration. The properties of PDLSCs associated to miRNA functions are altered in differential microenvironmental conditions such as infection, inflammation, high-glucose environment, or mechanical force. Therefore, these factors must be considered when inflamed PDLSCs are used for tissue regeneration. The results suggested inflammation-free PDLSCs harvested from the middle third of root surface provide the best osteogenic potential. Alternatively, the addition of miRNA as a bioactive molecule also increases the success of PDLSCs therapy to enhance their osteogenic differentiation. In conclusion, Exosome-derived miRNAs play a key role in PDLSCs osteogenic differentiation during tissue regeneration. While the success of PDLSCs in tissue regeneration could be uncertain by many factors, the use of miRNAs as an adjunct is beneficial for new bone regeneration.

    Keywords: microRNA, Periodontal ligament stem cells, Osteogenic differentiation, Bone engineering, Tissue Regeneration

    Received: 25 Apr 2024; Accepted: 20 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Limlawan and Vacharaksa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Pirawish Limlawan, Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, 10330, Thailand
    Anjalee Vacharaksa, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, 10330, Thailand

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.