Proteomic analysis of the effects of CSF-1 and IL-1α on dental follicle cells

Function of Dental Follicle Progenitor/Stem Cells and Their Potential in Regenerative Medicine: From Mechanisms to Applications

Dental follicle progenitor/stem cells (DFPCs) are a group of dental mesenchyme stem cells that lie in the dental follicle and play a critical role in tooth development and maintaining function. Originating from neural crest, DFPCs harbor a multipotential differentiation capacity. More importantly, they have superiorities, including the easy accessibility and abundant sources, active self-renewal ability and noncontroversial sources compared with other stem cells, making them an attractive candidate in the field of tissue engineering. Recent advances highlight the excellent properties of DFPCs in regeneration of orofacial tissues, including alveolar bone repair, periodontium regeneration and bio-root complex formation. Furthermore, they play a unique role in maintaining a favorable microenvironment for stem cells, immunomodulation and nervous related tissue regeneration. This review is intended to summarize the current knowledge of DFPCs, including their stem cell properties, physiological functions and clinical application potential. A deep understanding of DFPCs can thus inspire novel perspectives in regenerative medicine in the future.

Role of Innate Inflammation in the Regulation of Tissue Remodeling during Tooth Eruption

Tooth eruption is characterized by a coordinated complex cascade of cellular and molecular events that promote tooth movement through the eruptive pathway. During tooth eruption, the stratum intermedium structurally changes to the papillary layer with tooth organ development. We previously reported intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression on the papillary layer, which is the origin of the ICAM-1-positive junctional epithelium. ICAM-1 expression is induced by proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor. Inflammatory reactions induce tissue degradation. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether inflammatory reactions are involved in tooth eruption. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed sequential expression of hypoxia-induced factor-1α, interleukin-1β, and chemotactic factors, including keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), during tooth eruption. Consistent with the RT-PCR results, immunohistochemical analysis revealed KC and MIP-2 expression in the papillary layer cells of the enamel organ from the ameloblast maturation stage. Moreover, there was massive macrophage and neutrophil infiltration in the connective tissue between the tooth organ and oral epithelium during tooth eruption. These findings suggest that inflammatory reactions might be involved in the degradation of tissue overlying the tooth organ. Further, these reactions might be induced by hypoxia in the tissue overlying the tooth organ, which results from decreased capillaries in the tissue. Our findings indicate that bacterial infections are not associated with the eruption process. Therefore, tooth eruption might be regulated by innate inflammatory mechanisms.

IL-1α Regulates Osteogenesis and Osteoclastic Activity of Dental Follicle Cells Through JNK and p38 MAPK Pathways

Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1α (IL-1α) are increased in teeth with periapical lesions. Primary teeth with periapical lesions have a propensity for accelerated eruption of the successors. In this study, we asked whether increased levels of IL-1α in the dental follicle (DF) occurring as the result of periapical lesions promote tooth eruption, possibly due to enhanced osteoclastic remodeling of DF cells (DFCs). To this end, we studied the effect and possible mechanism of IL-1α on osteogenic differentiation, osteoclastogenic activity, and matrix remodeling of DFCs. Results demonstrated that DFCs cultured with IL-1α exhibited reduced osteogenic capacity, higher osteoclastogenic activity, and stronger invasive ability. Phosphorylation of JNK and p38 was upregulated, and pretreatment with SB203580 and SP600125 reversed the effect of IL-1α on DFCs. Neonatal rats subjected to subcutaneous injection of an IL-1 receptor antagonist exhibited a reduced number in activated osteoclasts, increased expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteopontin, and delayed tooth eruption. These data support our hypothesis that increased IL-1α cytokine levels as they occur during periodontal and periapical inflammation cause osteoclastic remodeling of the alveolar socket as a requirement for tooth eruption and thus may indirectly promote the vertical eruption of teeth toward the occlusal plane.