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Hard Tissue Formation in Subcutaneously Transplanted Rat Dental Pulp

¹ Department of Oral Histology, Matsumoto Dental University, 1780 Gobara Hirooka, Shiojiri, Nagano 399-0781, Japan;
² Institute for Dental Science, Matsumoto Dental University, Nagano, Japan;
³ Department of Menicon Cartilage and Bone Regeneration, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;
⁴ Division of Cariology, Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Department of Oral Health Science, Course for Oral Life Science, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan;
⁵ Division of Cardiovascular Science, Department of Organ Regeneration, Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagano, Japan;
⁶ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagano, Japan; and
⁷ Department of Endodontics and Operative Dentistry, Matsumoto Dental University, Nagano, Japan

^* corresponding author, hosoya{at}po.mdu.ac.jp

While dental pulp appears to be able to form mineralized matrices that do not always resemble dentin, the precise characteristics of the hard tissue and the mechanism of its induction remain unknown. Therefore, we evaluated hard tissue induced by transplantation of pulp into subcutaneous tissue. Seven days after transplantation, initial hard tissue was formed at the inner periphery of the pulp. After 14 days, this hard tissue expanded inwardly. Mineralized matrix was immunopositive for osteocalcin, osteopontin, and bone sialoprotein, but negative for dentin sialoprotein. Transplantation of GFP-labeled pulp into wild-type rats showed these formative cells to have been derived from the transplant. TEM observation revealed apatite crystals within necrotic cells and matrix vesicles at the initial stage of calcification. These results indicate that pulp cells possess the ability to form a bone- or cementum-like matrix. Calcification of the matrix may occur in necrotic cells and matrix vesicles, followed by collagenous calcification.

KEY WORDS: dental pulp calcification • transplantation • non-collagenous proteins • rat incisor • immunohistochemistry