Page 192 - EXOSOMES

Regenerative Therapeutics in Dentistry

Even though the FDA regulates the use of stem cells for medical treatment in clinical
trials and other controlled situations, there is controversy and confusion over what is
considered best practice. This has prevented them from being more widely used. Stem cells
are approved by the FDA for certain conditions. Particularly effective stem cells are those from
live-birth infants where the baby and parents are pre-screened. People with means such as
professional athletes and celebrities pay exorbitant prices for stem cells to enhance and
accelerate healing from “FDA-regulated” sources.

Exosomes on the other hand, are ‘derivatives’ of stem cells – but are not cells. These
extracellular vesicles have become very popular recently in regenerative
medicine including dentistry. Like
stem cells, they can be injected for
therapeutic effect but can also be ingested
if taken with a buffering liquid to mitigate
the impact of stomach acids. In this liquid, ingestible form, they are considered
by the FDA to be “dietary supplements” similar to those sold over-the-counter in
pharmacies and health food stores. Exosomes are also used topically with
skin rejuvenation, such as with aging, atopic dermatitis, dermal wounds, and as
ingredients in commercialized skin treatment products.

Exosomes have cell-to-cell communication capability allowing older, less healthy cells in
the body to reprogram themselves. They are very much smaller than stem cells, can easily
cross the blood-brain barrier, and are identified
according to “clusters of differentiation” (CD number).
They can be separated in relation to their ability to
influence existing sites in the body making changes for
the better – particularly CD9, CD 63, and CD81 -- which
have been exclusively isolated for rehabilitative
effects. Healing and pain-mitigating outcomes from exosome can be very similar to stem cell
outcomes. When a person’s own exosome levels decline with age or from disease states,
deficiencies among exosomes can be measured or assayed with a simple lab test to see which
are lacking. Then exosomes can be selected and administered to treat problem-specific parts of
the body.

References”
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Feb; 22(3): 1144.

Therapeutic Application of Exosomes in Inflammatory Diseases
†
†
†
Ju Hun Suh, Hyeon Su Joo, Eun Be Hong, Hyeon Ji Lee, and Jung Min Lee
†
Published online 2021 Jan 24. doi: 10.3390/ijms22031144
PMCID: PMC7865921, PMID: 33498928