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RESEARCH REPORT |
1 Department of SAU & FAL, University of Bologna, Italy;
2 Department of Dental Science, University of Bologna, Italy;
3 Department of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA; and
4 Department of MUN, UCO of Dental Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Stuparich, 1, I-34129 Trieste, Italy
* corresponding author, lbreschi{at}units.it
| ABSTRACT |
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KEY WORDS: caries collagen fibrils proteoglycans immunohistochemistry FEISEM
| INTRODUCTION |
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Carious dentin consists of a soft, outer layer of caries-infected dentin, in which caries is actively in progress, and a relatively harder inner layer of sclerotic dentin that is bacteria-free (Arends et al., 1997). So that the grossly denatured caries-infected dentin can be mechanically removed, a dye solution consisting of 0.5% basic fuchsin or 1% acid red is used clinically to differentiate between the denatured outer layer and the remineralizable inner layer of carious dentin. Previous in vitro (Okuda et al., 2003) and in vivo studies (Arends et al., 1989) have reported the effect of carious attack on the apatite phase of the dentin matrix. However, alterations to the dentin organic matrix during the carious process remain controversial (Tjäderhane et al., 1998; Van Strijp et al., 2003; Nakornchai et al., 2004; Pashley et al., 2004). In particular, the fate of proteoglycans in dentinal caries remains obscure. In light of the minimally invasive strategy for the retention of sclerotic dentin for remineralization and dentin permeability reduction (Kawasaki et al., 1999), preservation of the structural integrity of collagen fibrils and proteoglycans in carious dentin is paramount if the integrity of adhesive-bonded caries-affected dentin is to be ensured over time.
Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the changes in type I collagen and proteoglycan distribution in sclerotic dentin under caries lesions by an immunohistochemical approach (Breschi et al., 2003b), in conjunction with field-emission in-lens scanning electron microscopy (FEISEM). The null hypothesis tested was that there are no differences in the distribution of antigenically intact collagen fibrils and proteoglycans between normal hard dentin and sclerotic dentin under caries lesions.
| MATERIALS & METHODS |
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Immediately after extraction, teeth were examined under an optical stereomicroscope for identification of areas with carious dentin. The soft caries-infected dentin was removed with a low-speed handpiece (Castellini, Bologna, Italy) equipped with a 0.7-mm carbide bur, followed by hand excavation to expose the underlying sclerotic dentin under the caries lesion. A custom-prepared solution of 0.5% basic fuchsin was used to discriminate between the caries-affected and sound dentin. The teeth were transversely sectioned with a low-speed diamond saw (Remet, Casalecchio di Reno, Italy) under water irrigation. Two 1-mm-thick dentin slices were retrieved from each tooth. The first slice was obtained at the level of the surface sclerotic dentin, and the second at the level of the underlying normal hard dentin. The sclerotic (N = 20) and sound (N = 20) dentin slices were polished with silicon carbide papers of decreasing abrasiveness (1204000 grit) under irrigation with de-ionized water. The specimens were then ultrasonicated for 1 min in de-ionized water (pH 7.4) and exposed to 10% citric acid for 15 sec (Breschi et al., 2003b).
Immunohistochemistry
A double-immunolabeling procedure (Breschi et al., 2003b) was performed with 2 monoclonal primary antibodies: an IgG anti-type I collagen and an IgM anti-chondroitin 4/6 sulfate (mouse monoclonal; Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO, USA), for simultaneous detection of the distribution of antigenically intact collagen fibrils and proteoglycans. The normal hard and sclerotic dentin slices were immersed in 0.05 M Tris HCl buffered solution (TBS; pH 7.6) with 0.15 M NaCl and 0.1% bovine serum albumin, and then pre-incubated for 30 min in TBS 0.05 M normal goat serum (British BioCell International, Cardiff, United Kingdom) at pH 7.6. Overnight incubation was subsequently performed with the primary antibodies at 4°C. After incubation, the specimens were rinsed with 0.05 M TBS at pH 7.6 and 0.02 M TBS at pH 8.2 (0.02 M Tris HCl, buffered at pH 8.2 with 0.15 M NaCl and 0.1% bovine serum albumin). Gold labeling was performed with 2 secondary antibodies conjugated with gold particles of different sizes: an IgG goat anti-mouse-IgG conjugated with 30-nm gold particles (British BioCell International) for type I collagen identification, and an IgG goat anti-mouse-IgM conjugated with 15 nm colloidal gold for chondroitin 4/6 sulfate identification (British BioCell International). Reaction of the secondary antibodies was performed in 0.02 M TBS at pH 8.2 for 90 min at room temperature. The specimens were then rinsed in 0.02 M TBS at pH 8.2 and, finally, in de-ionized water prior to further laboratory processing.
Ultrastructural Processing
The specimens were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M Sorensens phosphate buffer (PB) at pH 7.2 for 4 hrs, rinsed in 0.15 M PB, dehydrated in ascending ethanol series, and dried with hexamethyldisilazane (Sigma Chemical Co.). They were coated with carbon and examined under a FEISEM (JSM 890, JEOL, Tokyo, Japan) at 7 KeV and 1 x 1012 Amp. Final images were obtained as a combination of both back-scattered (for gold nano-particle identification) and secondary electron signals, at magnifications up to 100,000X. Quantitative measurements were performed with the use of image-analysis software (JSMSCSI, JEOL Italia SpA, Milan, Italy).
Quantitative Evaluation
Fifteen micrographs with the same magnification (x20,000) were obtained for each sample. The labeling index was defined as the mean of the gold particle number/µm2 (± SD) of the visible organic network on each image (Septier et al., 1998). We calculated the labeling index by utilizing the image analysis software after digitizing the mixed SEI-BEI images and thresholding the grey level characteristic of both the gold particles and the background (i.e., showing the absence of any organic components). Since the data were not normally distributed (Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests), we used Mann-Whitney tests to compare the labeling indices for collagen fibrils and proteoglycans in normal hard vs. sclerotic dentin (Breschi et al., 2003a), with the level of statistical significance set at p = 0.05.
Controls
The controls consisted of dentin specimens processed as previously described for the pre-embedding immunohistochemical procedure and: (1) incubated overnight in 0.05 M TBS at pH 7.6 without the primary antibodies, then with the 2 secondary antibodies; (2) incubated with the anti-type I collagen primary antibody, and then with the anti-mouse IgM conjugated with 15-nm gold nanoparticles used for immunolabeling of proteoglycans; and (3) incubated with the anti-chondroitin 4/6 sulfate primary antibody, and then incubated with the anti-mouse IgG conjugated with 30-nm gold nanoparticles used for immunolabeling of type I collagen fibrils (Breschi et al., 2003b). (4) The immunohistochemical procedure was applied to the de-proteinated sound dentin substrates after removal of the organic matrix with 5% sodium hypochlorite applied for 10 min at room temperature; and (5) specimens of un-fixed predentin organic matrix were prepared, and the double-immunolabeling procedure was performed without surface chemical pre-treatment, so that a positive control could be obtained.
| RESULTS |
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Quantitative evaluation revealed labeling densities of 19.57 ± 3.01/µm2 for type I collagen and 9.84 ± 2.62/µm2 for chondroitin 4/6 sulfate in sclerotic dentin. In normal hard dentin, the values were 35.20 ± 2.73/µm2 and 17.03 ± 1.98/µm2, respectively. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were identified for both type I collagen fibrils and chondroitin 4/6 sulfate between sclerotic dentin and normal hard dentin.
Control specimens showed the complete absence of labeling (data not shown), confirming that there were no cross-reactions between the primary antibodies (incubation performed after protein removal [control #4]) or the secondary antibodies (incubation performed without the primary antibody [control #1]) and the mineral phase of dentin. Negative controls #2 and #3 confirmed the selective binding of the secondary antibodies with the correct primary antibodies, thus discriminating between IgG and IgM. Control #5 showed intense labeling for both type I collagen and proteoglycans on the predentin fibrillar organic network, confirming the effectiveness of the labeling procedure (data not shown).
| DISCUSSION |
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Carious dentin consists of a transparent zone of caries-affected dentin (deep and close to normal dentin) and a superficial opaque zone of caries-infected dentin (Frank, 1990). These two layers have previously been analyzed by confocal light microscopy (Banerjee et al., 1999), transmission electron microscopy (Ogawa et al., 1983), atomic force microscopy (Zheng et al., 2003), and scanning electron microscopy (Arends et al., 1989). These studies confirmed that changes such as tubular occlusion with mineral deposits occurred during the caries process. Identification of structurally or biochemically intact collagen fibrils from carious dentin has traditionally been based upon the detection of collagen banding or fibrillar cross-links (Marshall et al., 1997; Tjäderhane et al., 1998). Kuboki et al.(1977) demonstrated the presence of intermolecular cross-linking from collagen fibrils in the transparent zone. The authors suggested that caries-affected dentin is remineralizable and is a suitable substrate for dentin adhesion.
The antigenicity of a single protein, as revealed by its specific binding to a monoclonal antibody, provides definitive evidence of an optimal conservation of the epitope structure (Hall and Embery, 1997). Since monoclonal antibodies are highly sensitive (Willingham, 1999), the protocol for this study can be considered highly selective in identifying alterations in the protein epitopes. According to Lynn et al.(2004), epitopes for collagen type I monoclonal antibodies can be divided into helical, central, and terminal, depending on their ability to interact with the collagen peptides. The antibody anti-helical portion (such as the one used in this study) recognizes the substrate based on three-dimensional conformation that is related to the presence of an intact triple helix. Since the antibody recognizes the native form of collagen type I and does not react with the denatured molecule, we have to reject the null hypothesis that there are no differences in the distribution of antigenically intact collagen fibrils and proteoglycans between normal hard and sclerotic dentin under caries lesions. Indeed, the caries process induces modifications to both type I collagen fibrils and proteoglycans, as shown by the decreased labeling indices when sclerotic dentin was compared with sound dentin.
The decreased labeling indices associated with the sclerotic dentin under caries lesions may be caused either by the masking of the protein epitopes by the apatite mineral phase present in the hypermineralized peritubular areas of the transparent zone, or by the denaturing of the protein components (Breschi et al., 2003a). Marshall et al.(2001) demonstrated that intertubular dentin in the transparent zone is not hypermineralized compared with normal sound dentin. Thus, alteration in the antigenicity of the collagen fibrils and proteoglycans in sclerotic dentin under caries lesions appears to be the more logical explanation for the decreased labeling indices of the gold-conjugated antibodies.
To date, evidence of remineralization of enamel and dentinal caries is largely based upon the results obtained with densitometry (Arends et al., 1997). Although it has been shown that dentin remineralization is possible in the presence of low fluoride concentrations by ionic diffusion into porous caries-affected dentin (ten Cate, 2001; Mukai and ten Cate, 2002), evidence for remineralization within the gap zones of collagen fibrils (i.e., intrafibrillar remineralization) in caries-affected dentin is lacking. A recent study highlights the significance of intrafibrillar remineralization of dentin collagen, since intrafibrillar minerals are responsible for stiffening of the collagen fibrils, enabling them to function optimally under loading (Kinney et al., 2003). Although collagen fibrils in caries-affected dentin retain their structural identity as intact fibrillar entities (Yoshiyama et al., 2003), the reductions in antigenicity of both type I collagen and proteoglycans in this study raise concern regarding the possibility of intrafibrillar remineralization in sclerotic dentin. We hypothesize that extrafibrillar (i.e., surface deposition or interfibrillar) remineralization of the altered organic matrix alone is insufficient in re-establishing the mechanical properties of sclerotic dentin to those present in normal hard dentin. This hypothesis is testable, in principle, with the adjunctive use of atomic force microscopy and immunolabeling for transmission electron microscopy, and should be attempted in future work.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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Received October 17, 2004; Last revision July 22, 2005; Accepted October 6, 2005
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