Contribution of Myofibroblasts in Dental Pulp Healing and Regeneration

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25462952
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Conservative dentistry
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIBA NAGAKO 新潟大学, 医歯学総合病院, 講師 (10323974)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YOSHIBA KUNIHIKO 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 准教授 (30220718) ; OHKURA NAOTO 新潟大学, 医歯学総合病院, 医員 (00547573)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: α-SMA / fibrillin-1 / dental pulp / organ culture

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) is a marker of myofibroblasts, which play a central role in wound healing. Fibrillin-1 is a major constituent of microfibrils and an extracellular-regulator of TGF-β1, an important cytokine for myofibroblasts differentiation. We examined alterations of α-SMA and fibrillin-1 expression in organotypic culture of dental pulp. After 7 days of culture, most fibroblasts and odontoblasts were immunoreactive for α-SMA with a significant increase of α-SMA mRNA expression. Furthermore, immunostaining of fibrillin-1 became faint with mRNA downregulation. Administration of inhibitors for extracellular matrix proteases resulted in the recovery of fibrillin-1 immunostaining, and fibroblasts lost their immunoreactivity for α-SMA with mRNA downregulation. These findings suggest that fibrillin-1 degradation and downregulation might be implicated in the myofibroblasts differentiation in dental pulp wound healing.

Free Research Field

歯科保存学