Autophagy in Oral Tissue Regeneration: A Comprehensive Review

The oral cavity is a dynamic environment that requires continuous remodeling and regeneration, making autophagy essential for oral tissue regeneration. The oral cavity is also home to numerous bacterial colonizers, which can cause oral diseases through infection and subsequent immune reactions. Autophagy has been shown to play a role in controlling infectious agents, limiting inflammatory pathologies, regulating cell differentiation, and coordinating immunity. In addition, autophagy is involved in repairing damaged tissue, further highlighting its importance in oral tissue regeneration. Despite numerous studies exploring the role of autophagy in oral diseases and regeneration, there has been no systematic review on the subject.

This review focuses on the contribution of autophagy to stem cell regulation and oral tissue regeneration. We discuss how autophagy helps oral stem cells survive under stress and provide an overview of the autophagy machinery in eukaryotes. We also review how autophagy contributes to different components of oral tissue regeneration, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in autophagy-regulated oral tissue regeneration. Furthermore, we examine how autophagy can be regulated by small molecule drugs, biomaterials, exosomes/RNAs, or other specific treatments. Finally, we discuss new perspectives on autophagy manipulation and its potential for oral tissue regeneration. However, further mechanistic studies are required to fully understand the role of autophagy in oral tissue regeneration and to develop potential therapeutic applications. This review may provide new insights into human tissue regeneration and guide future autophagy studies in oral and other tissues.