The salivary gland is composed of an elegant epithelial network that secrets saliva and maintains oral homeostasis. While cell lines and animal models furthered our understanding of salivary gland biology, they cannot replicate key aspects of the human salivary gland tissue, particularly the complex architecture and microenvironmental features that dictate salivary gland function. Organoid cultures provide an alternative system to recapitulate salivary gland tissue in vitro, and salivary gland organoids have been generated from pluripotent stem cells and adult stem/progenitor cells. In this review, we describe salivary gland organoids, the advances and limitations, and the promising potential for regenerative medicine.

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唾液腺生物学和再生医学的类器官模型

唾液腺由优雅的上皮网络组成，可分泌唾液并维持口腔内环境平衡。虽然细胞系和动物模型加深了我们对唾液腺生物学的理解，但它们无法复制人类唾液腺组织的关键方面，尤其是决定唾液腺功能的复杂结构和微环境特征。类器官培养物提供了一种在体外重现唾液腺组织的替代系统，并且唾液腺类器官已经从多能干细胞和成体干细胞/祖细胞中产生。在这篇综述中，我们描述了唾液腺类器官、进展和局限性以及再生医学的潜力。