Journal of Dental Research, Vol 71, 1189-1195, Copyright © 1992 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Dentinogenic activity of allogenic plasma fibronectin on dog dental pulp
D. Tziafas, A. Alvanou and K. Kaidoglou
Department of Dental Pathology, School of Dentistry and Histology-Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
The response of ectomesenchymal cells of dog dental pulp to implantation of
Millipore filters supplemented with bovine plasma fibronectin was evaluated
after observation periods of one or four weeks. Two concentrations of
plasma fibronectin were used (0.2 and 1 mg/mL). Experiments also included
implants treated with control solutions (PBS or 1 mg/mL of dog albumin).
Formation of a layer of elongated, polarized cells was demonstrated in
direct contact with the implants treated with 1 mg/mL of plasma fibronectin
solution, after one week post-operatively. Microfilamentous organization
and orientation of rough endoplasmic reticulum was observed mainly in the
supranuclear zone of the polarized cells. Implants treated with the same
solution were consistently surrounded by a thick layer of dentinal matrix
after four weeks of their exposure to pulp sites. Implants treated with
control solutions or with the low concentration of fibronectin never showed
any sign of cell polarization and matrix synthesis. These data provide
evidence that the pulp cells can express their odontoblastic phenotype in
response to a surface containing concentrated fibronectin (even allogenic),
without the need of other molecules as exogenous inductive factors.
