Human stem cells repair salivary gland damaged by radiotherapy

For the first time ever, researchers at the University Medical Center Groningen have managed to repair a salivary gland in a mouse using human stem cells. This could be an important step towards developing stem cell therapy for patients experiencing a dry mouth after radiotherapy in the head and neck area. The researchers will publish an article on their findings in the scientific journal Stem Cells.

Every year, around 2,500 patients in the Netherlands are diagnosed with a tumour in their head or neck. Unfortunately, radiotherapy damages the salivary glands in some forty percent of these patients, preventing the glands from functioning properly and causing a permanently dry mouth. This has a huge impact on the quality of life of these patients. They find it difficult to speak, cannot eat normally and many develop serious tooth decay.

Protection during radiotherapy

In a research project recently launched in Groningen, researchers tried to administer radiotherapy in a way that would protect a particular area of the salivary gland. This area, which contains stem cells, is hypersensitive to radiation and easily damaged. In many cases, the area cannot be avoided and is damaged by the radiotherapy, resulting in a dry mouth and all the associated problems.

Stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapy may be the solution. Stem cells are cells that are capable of diversifying and developing into various types of bodily cells. Adult salivary gland stem cells can repair the damage to a salivary gland after radiotherapy. Stem cells must be removed from the salivary gland before radiotherapy and replaced in the salivary gland when radiotherapy has finished so that they can go about repairing the salivary gland.

Resumption of saliva production

Rob Coppes is professor in the Department of Radiotherapy and Cell Biology. He and his research group managed to isolate stem cells from a human salivary gland, cultivate them in the laboratory, let them multiply, and then replace them in the irradiated salivary gland of a mouse. Saliva production resumed after the stem cells had been transplanted into the mouse and the regenerative capacity of the irradiated salivary glands improved.

According to Coppes, this type of stem cell therapy will not be available to patients for another few years, but the discovery represents an important step towards eventual clinical application.