Modification of Metal-Organic Framework Nanoparticles Using Dental Pulp Mesenchymal Stem Cell Membranes to Target Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Advances in tumor stroma-based targeted delivery

The tumor stroma plays a crucial role in tumor progression, and the interactions between the extracellular matrix, tumor cells, and stromal cells collectively influence tumor progression and the efficacy of therapeutic agents. Currently, utilizing components of the tumor stroma for drug delivery is a noteworthy strategy. A number of targeted drug delivery systems designed based on tumor stromal components are entering clinical trials. Therefore, this paper provides a thorough examination of the function of tumor stroma in the advancement of targeted drug delivery systems. One approach is to use tumor stromal components for targeted drug delivery, which includes certain stromal components possessing inherent targeting capabilities like HA, laminin, along with targeting stromal cells homologously. Another method entails directly focusing on tumor stromal components to reshape the tumor stroma and facilitate drug delivery. These drug delivery systems exhibit great potential in more effective cancer therapy strategies, such as precise targeting, enhanced penetration, improved safety profile, and biocompatibility. Ultimately, the deployment of these drug delivery systems can deepen our comprehension of tumor stroma and the advanced development of corresponding drug delivery systems.

The crosstalk between primary MSCs and cancer cells in 2D and 3D cultures: potential therapeutic strategies and impact on drug resistance

The tumor microenvironment (TME) significantly influences cancer progression, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a crucial role in interacting with tumor cells via paracrine signaling, affecting behaviors such as proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. While conventional 2D culture models have provided valuable insights, they cannot fully replicate the complexity and diversity of the TME. Therefore, developing 3D culture systems that better mimic in vivo conditions is essential. This review delves into the heterogeneous nature of the TME, spotlighting MSC-tumor cellular signaling and advancements in 3D culture technologies. Utilizing MSCs in cancer therapy presents opportunities to enhance treatment effectiveness and overcome resistance mechanisms. Understanding MSC interactions within the TME and leveraging 3D culture models can advance novel cancer therapies and improve clinical outcomes. Additionally, this review underscores the therapeutic potential of engineered MSCs, emphasizing their role in targeted anti-cancer treatments.

A Review: Surface Engineering of Lipid-Based Drug Delivery Systems

This review explores the evolution of lipid-based nanoparticles (LBNPs) for drug delivery (DD). Herein, LBNPs are classified into liposomes and cell membrane-based nanoparticles (CMNPs), each with unique advantages and challenges. Conventional LBNPs possess drawbacks such as poor targeting, quick clearance, and limited biocompatibility. One of the possible alternatives to overcome these challenges is surface modification of nanoparticles (NPs) with materials such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), aptamers, antibody fragments, peptides, CD44, hyaluronic acid, folic acid, palmitic acid, and lactoferrin. Thus, the main focus of this review will be on the different surface modifications that enable LBNPs to have beneficial properties for DD, such as enhancing mass transport properties, immune evasion, improved stability, and targeting. Moreover, various CMNPs are explored used for DD derived from cells such as red blood cells (RBCs), platelets, leukocytes, cancer cells, and stem cells, highlighting their unique natural properties (e.g., biocompatibility and ability to evade the immune system). This discussion extends to the biomimicking of hybrid NPs accomplished through the surface coating of synthetic (mainly polymeric) NPs with different cell membranes. This review aims to provide a comprehensive resource for researchers on recent advances in the field of surface modification of LBNPs and CMNPs. Overall, this review provides valuable insights into the dynamic field of lipid-based DD systems.

Cell Membrane-Coated Nanoparticles for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Diseases

Dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases can substantially impact the quality of human life, thereby posing a serious public health concern. Although conventional therapies such as surgery have solved these problems largely, the prognosis of patients is not always satisfactory. Cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (CMCNPs) carry nanodrugs with the help of natural cell membranes, therefore utilizing their remarkable ability to interface and interact with their surrounding environment. These nanoparticles have demonstrated substantial advantages in drug targeting, prolonging blood circulation time, penetrating biofilms, and immune escape. With the assistance of CMCNPs, the therapeutic effects of dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases can reach a higher level. CMCNPs have been applied for dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases for various conditions such as head and neck cancer, periodontal disease, and oral biosignal detection. For the therapies of head and neck cancer, CMCNPs have been widely utilized as a tool of chemotherapy, phototherapy, and immunotherapy, while yet to be exploited in imaging technique. In the end, we summarized the challenges and prospectives of CMCNPs for dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases: large-scale production with uniform standards and high quantity, extensive application directions in dental, oral, and craniofacial regions (implant, endodontics), and the promotion of its clinical application.

Emerging platelet-based drug delivery systems

Drug delivery systems are becoming increasingly utilized; however, a major challenge in this field is the insufficient target of tissues or cells. Although efforts with engineered nanoparticles have shown some success, issues with targeting, toxicity and immunogenicity persist. Conversely, living cells can be used as drug-delivery vehicles because they typically have innate targeting mechanisms and minimal adverse effects. As active participants in hemostasis, inflammation, and tumors, platelets have shown great potential in drug delivery. This review highlights platelet-based drug delivery systems, including platelet membrane engineering, platelet membrane coating, platelet cytoplasmic drug loading, genetic engineering, and synthetic/artificial platelets for different applications.

Evaluation of the Antibacterial, Anti-Inflammatory, And Bone-Promoting Capacity of UiO-66 Loaded with Thymol or Carvacrol

Oral infectious diseases have a significant impact on the health of oral and maxillofacial regions, as well as the overall well-being of individuals. Carvacrol and thymol, two isomers known for their effective antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, have gained considerable attention in the treatment of oral infectious diseases. However, their application as topical drugs for oral use is limited due to their poor physical and chemical stability. UiO-66, a metal-organic framework based on zirconium ion (Zr4+), exhibits high drug loading capability. Carvacrol and thymol were efficiently loaded onto UiO-66 with loading rates of 79.60 ± 0.71% and 79.65 ± 0.76%, respectively. The release rates of carvacrol and thymol were 77.82 ± 0.87% and 76.51 ± 0.58%, respectively, after a period of 72 h. Moreover, Car@UiO-66 and Thy@UiO-66 demonstrated excellent antibacterial properties against Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus with minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of 0.313 mg/mL, 0.313 mg/mL, and 1.25 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, based on the results of the CCK8 cytotoxicity assay, even at concentrations as high as 1.25 mg/mL, Car@UiO-66 and Thy@UiO-66 exhibited excellent biocompatibility with a relative cell survival rate above 50%. These findings suggest that Car@UiO-66 and Thy@UiO-66 possess favorable biocompatibility properties without significant toxicity towards periodontal membrane cells. Additionally, in vivo studies confirmed the efficacy of Car@UiO-66and Thy@UiO-66 in reducing inflammation, promoting bone formation through inhibition of TNF-a and IL6 expression, enhancement of IL10 expression, and acceleration of bone defect healing. Therefore, the unique combination of antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and osteogenic properties make Car@UiO-66 and Thy@Ui O-66 promising candidates for the treatment of oral infectious diseases and repairing bone defects.

MOFs for next-generation cancer therapeutics through a biophysical approach-a review

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising nanocarriers for cancer treatment due to their unique properties. Featuring high porosity, extensive surface area, chemical stability, and good biocompatibility, MOFs are ideal for efficient drug delivery, targeted therapy, and controlled release. They can be designed to target specific cellular organelles to disrupt metabolic processes in cancer cells. Additionally, functionalization with enzymes mimics their catalytic activity, enhancing photodynamic therapy and overcoming apoptosis resistance in cancer cells. The controllable and regular structure of MOFs, along with their tumor microenvironment responsiveness, make them promising nanocarriers for anticancer drugs. These carriers can effectively deliver a wide range of drugs with improved bioavailability, controlled release rate, and targeted delivery efficiency compared to alternatives. In this article, we review both experimental and computational studies focusing on the interaction between MOFs and drug, explicating the release mechanisms and stability in physiological conditions. Notably, we explore the relationship between MOF structure and its ability to damage cancer cells, elucidating why MOFs are excellent candidates for bio-applicability. By understanding the problem and exploring potential solutions, this review provides insights into the future directions for harnessing the full potential of MOFs, ultimately leading to improved therapeutic outcomes in cancer treatment.

Engineered and Mimicked Extracellular Nanovesicles for Therapeutic Delivery

Exosomes are spherical extracellular nanovesicles with an endosomal origin and unilamellar lipid-bilayer structure with sizes ranging from 30 to 100 nm. They contain a large range of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acid species, depending on the state and origin of the extracellular vesicle (EV)-secreting cell. EVs' function is to encapsulate part of the EV-producing cell content, to transport it through biological fluids to a targeted recipient, and to deliver their cargos specifically within the aimed recipient cells. Therefore, exosomes are considered to be potential biological drug-delivery systems that can stably deliver their cargo into targeted cells. Various cell-derived exosomes are produced for medical issues, but their use for therapeutic purposes still faces several problems. Some of these difficulties can be avoided by resorting to hemisynthetic approaches. We highlight here the uses of alternative exosome-mimes involving cell-membrane coatings on artificial nanocarriers or the hybridization between exosomes and liposomes. We also detail the drug-loading strategies deployed to make them drug-carrier systems and summarize the ongoing clinical trials involving exosomes or exosome-like structures. Finally, we summarize the open questions before considering exosome-like disposals for confident therapeutic delivery.

Biomimetic nanotherapeutics for homotypic-targeting photothermal/chemotherapy of oral cancer

Given the inherent complexity of cancer treatment and the limitations of singular therapeutic modalities, the development of an optimal nanocarrier system capable of facilitating synergistic organic therapy remains a profound challenge. Herein, a synergetic chemo/photothermal therapy nanoplatform was exploited to specifically tailor for the augmented treatment of oral cancer. A cancer cell membrane-camouflaged nanocarrier was developed with a polymeric core encapsulating doxorubicin (DOX). The designed nanoparticles (CC@DOXNPs) inherited the functional membrane proteins from the source cancer cells, endowing their remarkable ability to selectively target cancer cells delivery both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, indocyanine green (ICG), modified with the phospholipid polymer DSPE-PEG2000, was introduced into the cancer cell membrane to enable photothermal therapy. Remarkably, as evaluated in a preclinical subcutaneous and orthotopic mice model of oral cancer, biomimetic composite nanotherapeutics (lip-CC@DOXNPs) could significantly accumulate into tumor lesion and effectively suppress tumor growth under the near-infrared (NIR, 808 nm) irradiation, without causing the undesirable systematic toxicity. Moreover, RNA sequence analyses indicated that chemo/photothermal therapy triggers the intrinsic mitochondria-mediated apoptosis through the p53 signaling pathway. Combined with gene expression results, this intrinsic mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway was further demonstrated. Collectively, this multifaceted nanoplatforms possess a remarkable capability for tumor-targeting drug delivery, and the proficient photothermal conversion ability, rendering them an ideal therapeutic approach for oral cancer treatment.

Biomimetic Nano-Drug Delivery System: An Emerging Platform for Promoting Tumor Treatment

With the development of nanotechnology, nanoparticles (NPs) have shown broad prospects as drug delivery vehicles. However, they exhibit certain limitations, including low biocompatibility, poor physiological stability, rapid clearance from the body, and nonspecific targeting, which have hampered their clinical application. Therefore, the development of novel drug delivery systems with improved biocompatibility and high target specificity remains a major challenge. In recent years, biofilm mediated biomimetic nano-drug delivery system (BNDDS) has become a research hotspot focus in the field of life sciences. This new biomimetic platform uses bio-nanotechnology to encapsulate synthetic NPswithin biomimetic membrane, organically integrating the low immunogenicity, low toxicity, high tumor targeting, good biocompatibility of the biofilm with the adjustability and versatility of the nanocarrier, and shows promising applications in the field of precision tumor therapy. In this review, we systematically summarize the new progress in BNDDS used for optimizing drug delivery, providing a theoretical reference for optimizing drug delivery and designing safe and efficient treatment strategies to improve tumor treatment outcomes.

The Therapeutic Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and their Secretome on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral cancers are prevalent in the human population, particularly in unindustrialized countries. In 90 % of oral cancers, the tumors arise from squamous cells, which is called oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Despite new treatment strategies, the morbidity and mortality rates are still high. Current treatment options including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are not effective in the treatment of the tumor. Cell therapy with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is considered one of the leading strategies in cancer treatment. However, the field of MSC therapy in OSCC is immature and ongoing studies are being conducted in experimental and pre-clinical studies. Here, we reviewed these studies to figure out whether the use of MSCs could be worthwhile in OSCC therapy or not. Both native and engineered MSCs as well as their secretome have been used in the treatment of OSCC. It seems that genetically modified MSCs or their secretome could inhibit the tumorigenesis of OSCC. However, further pre-clinical studies are required to come to a conclusion.

Nano-Drug Delivery Systems in Oral Cancer Therapy: Recent Developments and Prospective

Oral cancer (OC), characterized by malignant tumors in the mouth, is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. Chemotherapy is a commonly used treatment for OC; however, it often leads to severe side effects on human bodies. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising solution for managing OC using nanomaterials and nanoparticles (NPs). Nano-drug delivery systems (nano-DDSs) that employ various NPs as nanocarriers have been extensively developed to enhance current OC therapies by achieving controlled drug release and targeted drug delivery. Through searching and analyzing relevant research literature, it was found that certain nano-DDSs can improve the therapeutic effect of drugs by enhancing drug accumulation in tumor tissues. Furthermore, they can achieve targeted delivery and controlled release of drugs through adjustments in particle size, surface functionalization, and drug encapsulation technology of nano-DDSs. The application of nano-DDSs provides a new tool and strategy for OC therapy, offering personalized treatment options for OC patients by enhancing drug delivery, reducing toxic side effects, and improving therapeutic outcomes. However, the use of nano-DDSs in OC therapy still faces challenges such as toxicity, precise targeting, biodegradability, and satisfying drug-release kinetics. Overall, this review evaluates the potential and limitations of different nano-DDSs in OC therapy, focusing on their components, mechanisms of action, and laboratory therapeutic effects, aiming to provide insights into understanding, designing, and developing more effective and safer nano-DDSs. Future studies should focus on addressing these issues to further advance the application and development of nano-DDSs in OC therapy.

Surface modification potentials of cell membrane-based materials for targeted therapies: a chemotherapy-focused review

Nanotechnology has significant potential for cancer management at all stages, including prevention, diagnosis and treatment. In therapeutic applications, nanoparticles (NPs) have biological stability, targeting and body-clearance issues. To overcome these difficulties, biomimetic or cell membrane-coating methods using immune cell membranes are advised. Macrophage or neutrophil cell membrane-coated NPs may impede cancer progression in malignant tissue. Immune cell surface proteins and their capacity to maintain activity after membrane extraction and NP coating determine NP functioning. Immune cell surface proteins may offer NPs higher cellular interactions, blood circulation, antigen recognition for targeting, progressive drug release and reduced in vivo toxicity. This article examines nano-based systems with immune cell membranes, their surface modification potential, and their application in cancer treatment.

Innovative Metal-Organic Frameworks for Targeted Oral Cancer Therapy: A Review

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have proven to be very effective carriers for drug delivery in various biological applications. In recent years, the development of hybrid nanostructures has made significant progress, including developing an innovative MOF-loaded nanocomposite with a highly porous structure and low toxicity that can be used to fabricate core-shell nanocomposites by combining complementary materials. This review study discusses using MOF materials in cancer treatment, imaging, and antibacterial effects, focusing on oral cancer cells. For patients with oral cancer, we offer a regular program for accurately designing and producing various anticancer and antibacterial agents to achieve maximum effectiveness and the lowest side effects. Also, we want to ensure that the anticancer agent works optimally and has as few side effects as possible before it is tested in vitro and in vivo. It is also essential that new anticancer drugs for cancer treatment are tested for efficacy and safety before they go into further research.

"Bioinspired" Membrane-Coated Nanosystems in Cancer Theranostics: A Comprehensive Review

Achieving precise cancer theranostics necessitates the rational design of smart nanosystems that ensure high biological safety and minimize non-specific interactions with normal tissues. In this regard, "bioinspired" membrane-coated nanosystems have emerged as a promising approach, providing a versatile platform for the development of next-generation smart nanosystems. This review article presents an in-depth investigation into the potential of these nanosystems for targeted cancer theranostics, encompassing key aspects such as cell membrane sources, isolation techniques, nanoparticle core selection, approaches for coating nanoparticle cores with the cell membrane, and characterization methods. Moreover, this review underscores strategies employed to enhance the multi-functionality of these nanosystems, including lipid insertion, membrane hybridization, metabolic engineering, and genetic modification. Additionally, the applications of these bioinspired nanosystems in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics are discussed, along with the recent advances in this field. Through a comprehensive exploration of membrane-coated nanosystems, this review provides valuable insights into their potential for precise cancer theranostics.

Cell membrane-coated nanomaterials for cancer therapy

With the development of nanotechnology, nanoparticles have emerged as a delivery carrier for tumor drug therapy, which can improve the therapeutic effect by increasing the stability and solubility and prolonging the half-life of drugs. However, nanoparticles are foreign substances for humans, are easily cleared by the immune system, are less targeted to tumors, and may even be toxic to the body. As a natural biological material, cell membranes have unique biological properties, such as good biocompatibility, strong targeting ability, the ability to evade immune surveillance, and high drug-carrying capacity. In this article, we review cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (CMNPs) and their applications to tumor therapy. First, we briefly describe CMNP characteristics and applications. Second, we present the characteristics and advantages of different cell membranes as well as nanoparticles, provide a brief description of the process of CMNPs, discuss the current status of their application to tumor therapy, summarize their shortcomings for use in cancer therapy, and propose future research directions. This review summarizes the research progress on CMNPs in cancer therapy in recent years and assesses remaining problems, providing scholars with new ideas for future research on CMNPs in tumor therapy.

Current progress of mesenchymal stem cell membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles for targeted therapy

Nanodrug delivery systems have been widely used in disease treatment. However, weak drug targeting, easy to be cleared by the immune system, and low biocompatibility are great obstacles for drug delivery. As an important part of cell information transmission and behavior regulation, cell membrane can be used as drug coating material which represents a promising strategy and can overcome these limitations. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) membrane, as a new carrier, has the characteristics of active targeting and immune escape of MSC, and has broad application potential in tumor treatment, inflammatory disease, tissue regeneration and other fields. Here, we review recent progress on the use of MSC membrane-coated nanoparticles for therapy and drug delivery, aiming to provide guidance for the design and clinical application of membrane carrier in the future.

Recent advancements to engineer mesenchymal stem cells and their extracellular vesicles for targeting and destroying tumors

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to migrate into tumor sites and release growth factors to modulate the tumor microenvironment. MSC therapy have shown a dual role in cancers, promoting or inhibiting. However, MSCs could be used as a carrier of anticancer agents for targeted tumor therapy. Recent technical improvements also allow engineering MSCs to improve tumor-targeting properties, protect anticancer agents, and decrease the cytotoxicity of drugs. While some of MSC functions are mediated through their secretome, MSCs-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are also proposed as a possible viechle for cancer therapy. EVs allow efficient loading of anticancer agents and have an intrinsic ability to target tumor cells, making them suitable for targeted therapy of tumors. In addition, the specificity and selectivity of EVs to the tumor sites could be enhanced by surface modification. In this review, we addressed the current approaches used for engineering MSCs and EVs to effectively target tumor sites and deliver anticancer agents.

Polydopamine-guarded metal-organic frameworks as co-delivery systems for starvation-assisted chemo-photothermal therapy

Cutting off glucose provision by glucose oxidase (GOx) to famish tumors can be an assistance with chemotherapy to eliminate cancer cells. Co-encapsulation of GOx and chemotherapeutics (doxorubicin) within pH-sensitive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could disorder metabolic pathways of cancer cells and generate excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), together. To prevent premature leach of GOx from the porous channels of MOFs, polydopamine (PDA) was deposited on the surface of MOFs, which endowed the delivery system with photothermal conversion ability. Our nanoscaled co-delivery system (denoted as DGZPNs) remains stable with low amount of drug leakage under simulated physiological conditions in vitro and internal environment, while they are triggered to release doxorubicin (DOX) and GOx in acid tumor microenvironment and at high temperature for reinforced chemotherapy. NIR laser irradiation also activates superior photothermal conversion efficiency of PDA (36.9 %) to initiate hyperthermia to ablate tumor tissue. After being phagocytized by 4 T1 cells (breast cancer cells), the DGZPNs delivery system showed a superior therapeutic efficacy with a tumor growth inhibition of 88.9 ± 6.6 % under NIR irradiation, which indicated that the starvation-assisted chemo-photothermal therapy prompts the significant advance of synergistic therapy in a parallelly controlled mode.

Cell Membranes from Tumor-Tropic MSCs Screened by a Microfluidic Chip for Drug Nanoparticles Encapsulation and Cancer Targeted Therapy

Nanoparticles (NPs)-based drug carriers are effective in reducing systemic toxicity and drug resistance for chemotherapy, and an emerging trend focuses on integrating cell membranes with nanomedicines for tumor targeting. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising candidates due to their unique tropism toward cancer cells, yet the tumor-tropic abilities can differ for MSCs sourced from different tissues. Here, a multichannel microfluidic chip to screen different sourced MSCs with the greatest tropism toward cervical cancer cells is developed. Based on this, the cell membranes from the chorionic plate-derived MSC are isolated and membrane-camouflaged platinum prodrug composite NPs for cervical cancer treatment are prepared. Results demonstrate that the composite NPs can effectively target tumor sites and have a therapeutic effect both in vitro and in vivo. It is believed that the present microfluidic platform is a powerful tool for cell screening and tumor-on-a-chip studies, and the derived nanodelivery system represents the great value of cell membrane-camouflaged nanomedicine for targeted cancer therapy.

Advanced materials and technologies for oral diseases

Oral disease, as a class of diseases with very high morbidity, brings great physical and mental damage to people worldwide. The increasing burden and strain on individuals and society make oral diseases an urgent global health problem. Since the treatment of almost all oral diseases relies on materials, the rapid development of advanced materials and technologies has also promoted innovations in the treatment methods and strategies of oral diseases. In this review, we systematically summarized the application strategies in advanced materials and technologies for oral diseases according to the etiology of the diseases and the comparison of new and old materials. Finally, the challenges and directions of future development for advanced materials and technologies in the treatment of oral diseases were refined. This review will guide the fundamental research and clinical translation of oral diseases for practitioners of oral medicine.

Nanomedicines in oral cancer: inspiration comes from extracellular vesicles and biomimetic nanoparticles

Oral cancer is a common life-threatening malignancy having high mortality and morbidity rates. During the treatment process, individuals unavoidably experience severe side effects. It is essential to develop safer and more effective strategies. Currently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) and biomimetic nanoparticles are nanomedicines with long-term blood circulation and lower off-target toxicity that orchestrate immune responses and accumulate specifically in tumor sites. EVs create a synergetic effect by encapsulating drugs and collaborating with naturally loaded elements in the EVs. Biomimetic nanoparticles retain the characteristic features of the synthetic nanocarriers and inherit the intrinsic cell membrane functionalities. This review outlines the properties, applications, challenges, pros and cons of EVs and biomimetic nanoparticles, providing novel perspectives on oral cancer.

The Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Oral Cancer and Possible Therapy Regime

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are characterized by self-renewal, rapid proliferation, multipotent differentiation, and low immunogenicity. In addition, the tropism of MSCs towards injured tissues and tumor lesions makes them attractive candidates as cell carriers for therapeutic agent delivery and genetic material transfer. The interaction between tumor cells and MSCs in the tumor microenvironment plays an important role in tumor progression. Oral cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases in the head and neck. Although considerable improvements in the treatment of oral cancer were achieved, more effective and safer novel agents and treatments are still needed, and deeper studies on the etiology, pathology, and treatment of the oral cancer are desirable. In the past decades, many studies have reported the beneficial effects of MSCs-based therapies in the treatment of various diseases, including oral cancers. Meanwhile, other studies demonstrated that MSCs may enhance the growth and metastasis of oral cancer. In this paper, we reviewed the research progress of the effects of MSCs on oral cancers, the underlying mechanisms, and their potential applications in the treatment of oral cancers.