Unravelling the role of autophagy in human dental pulp.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved intracellular catabolic process that recycles and degrades proteins, organelles and pathogens. It is an endogenous defence mechanism regulating multiple cellular pathways like apoptosis, inflammation, immune response and pathogen clearance and acts as a modulator of pathogenesis. This article highlights the emerging role of autophagy in inflammation and regeneration of human dental pulp. It emphasizes exploring autophagy and autophagy agonists as potential targets for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.