Histopathological Study on the PTHrP-Induced Incisor Lesions in Rats

Effect of parathyroid hormone-related protein on odontogenic differentiation in human dental pulp cells

BACKGROUND

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) plays an important role in many physiological processes, including bone regeneration. The function of PTHrP is similar to PTH. It promotes osteogenic differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether PTHrP might have odontogenic differentiation ability in human dental pulp cells (hDPCs).

METHODS

The viability of hDPCs after stimulation with PTHrP was measured. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were performed to evaluate the expression levels of odontogenic markers and activation of protein kinase B (PKB/AKT), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). To evaluate mineralized nodule formation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and alizarin red S staining were performed.

RESULTS

PTHrP promoted odontogenic differentiation as evidenced by the formation of mineralized nodules, the induction of ALP activity, and the upregulation of odontogenic markers (dentin sialophosphoprotein and dentin matrix protein-1). The phosphorylation of AKT, ERK, JNK, and p38 was increased by PTHrP. However, an AKT inhibitor (LY294002), an ERK inhibitor (U0126), a JNK inhibitor (SP600125), and a p38 inhibitor (SB203580) inhibited the increase of mineralization induced by PTHrP.

CONCLUSION

The present study revealed that PTHrP could promote odontogenic differentiation and mineralization through activating the AKT, ERK, JNK, and p38 signaling pathways. These results provide novel insights into the odontogenic action of PTHrP.

Histopathological Study of Time Course Changes in PTHrP-Induced Incisor Lesions of Rats

Parathyroid hormone related peptide (PTHrP) was discovered as a causative factor of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM). In the present study using HHM model rats, the time course of odontoblastic response to PTHrP and its relation to incisal fracture were elicited. Nude rats were implanted with PTHrP-expressing tumor (LC-6) cells, mandibular incisors were collected at several time points. Microscopically 3 distinctive types of odontoblastic/dentin lesions were observed. Hypercalcfied dentin, which was reported as hypercalcemia-induced lesion in previous reports, observed in all areas of the dentin from week 5–10 samplings. Dentin niche, observed solely in week-10 sampling point, exhibited a nature identical to that of reparative odontoblast reported in the literatures of various cytotoxic agents. Since cytotoxicites were neither observed prior to the lesions nor reported as a role of PTHrP, the reparative response may have derived from highly sustained levels of PTHrP. Loss of columnar odontoblasts height was initially observed at week-5 time point in the middle section of the incisor. This primary loss of cell height prior to incisor fracture was considered to be the earliest response to the increased PTHrP levels of this model.

Incisor degeneration in rats induced by vascular endothelial growth factor/fibroblast growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibition

BMS-645737, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-2 and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor-1, has anti-angiogenic activity and was evaluated in nonclinical studies as a treatment for cancer. This article characterizes the BMS-645737-induced clinical, gross, and histologic lesions of incisor teeth in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Rats received 0 800 mg/kg BMS-645737 in a single-dose study or consecutive daily doses of 0 20 mg/kg/day in a 1-month study. The reversibility of these effects was assessed in the 1-month study. White discoloration and fracture of incisors were observed clinically and grossly in the 1-month study. In both studies, dose-dependent histopathologic lesions of incisors were degeneration and/or necrosis of odontoblasts and ameloblasts; decreased mineralization of dentin; inflammation and necrosis of the dental pulp; and edema, congestion, and hemorrhage in the pulp and periodontal tissue adjacent to the enamel organ. Partial recovery was observed at lower doses after a two-week dose-free period in the one-month study. Drug-induced incisor lesions were considered to be related to the pharmacologic inhibitory effects on VEGF and FGF signaling, that is, inhibition of growth and maintenance of small-diameter vessels that support the formation of dentin and enamel in growing teeth and/or to perturbances of function of odontoblasts and ameloblasts or their precursors.

Effects of calcitonin, calcitonin gene-related peptide, human recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-2, and parathyroid hormone-related protein on endodontically treated ferret canines

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to determine whether human recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), calcitonin (CT), or parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) promoted reparative tertiary dentin or osteodentin formation in ferret canines.

METHODS

Ferrets had up to 4 pulpotomies performed under anesthesia. All pulps had sterile absorbable sponge of a standard size placed in contact with the pulp. The sponge contained sterile saline, rhBMP-2, CGRP, CT, or PTHrP. The opening was filled with an intermediate restorative material. After 6 weeks, the ferrets were anesthetized, and the pulpotomized teeth were extracted. The canines were fixed, decalcified, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Sections were selected from the area of the opening, and the amount of reparative tertiary dentin and osteodentin was measured by using a digitizer.

RESULTS

Analysis of the photomicrographs showed that rhBMP-2 induced 0.58 +/- 0.19 mm(2) osteodentin and 0.56 +/- 0.18 mm(2) tertiary dentin. CGRP induced 0.46 +/- 0.05 mm(2) osteodentin and 0.38 +/- 0.04 mm(2) tertiary dentin. The amount of rhBMP-2-induced and CGRP-induced osteodentin and tertiary dentin was significantly (P < .001) more than that found in the sterile saline-treated teeth (0.29 +/- 0.03 mm(2) osteodentin and 0.14 +/- 0.03 mm(2) tertiary dentin) or CT (0.2 +/- 0.06 mm(2) osteodentin and 0.16 +/- 0.05 mm(2) tertiary dentin; P < .01). PTHrP significantly (P < .05) reduced the amount of osteodentin (0.17 +/- 0.02 mm(2)) observed in the saline-treated teeth but was not significantly different in the amount of tertiary dentin observed.

CONCLUSIONS

RhBMP-2 and CGRP promoted more pulpal healing than either CT or PTHrP.

Involvement of the klotho protein in dentin formation and mineralization

Klotho-deficient mice exhibit multiple pathological conditions resembling human aging. Our previous study showed alterations in the distribution of osteocytes and in the bone matrix synthesis in klotho-deficient mice. Although the bone and tooth share morphological features such as mineralization processes and components of the extracellular matrix, little information is available on how klotho deletion influences tooth formation. The present study aimed to elucidate the altered histology of incisors of klotho-deficient mice-comparing the findings with those from their wild-type littermates, by using immunohistochemistry for alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteopontin, and dentin matrix protein-1 (DMP-1), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridinetriphosphate nick end-labeling (TUNEL) detection for apoptosis, and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) analysis on calcium (Ca), phosphate (P), and magnesium (Mg). Klotho-deficient incisors exhibited disturbed layers of odontoblasts, predentin, and dentin, resulting in an obscure dentin-predentinal border at the labial region. Several odontoblast-like cells without ALP activity were embedded in the labial dentin matrix, and immunopositivity for DMP-1 and osteopontin was discernible in the matrix surrounding these embedded odontoblast-like cells. TUNEL detection demonstrated an apoptotic reaction in the embedded odontoblast-like cells and pulpal cells in the klotho-deficient mice. EPMA revealed lower concentrations of Ca, P, and Mg in the klotho-deficient dentin, except for the dentin around abnormal odontoblast-like cells. These findings suggest the involvement of the klotho gene in dentinogenesis and its mineralization.

PTHrP and PTH/PTHrP receptor 1 expression in odontogenic cells of normal and HHM model rat incisors

Parathyroid hormone related peptide (PTHrP) was discovered as a causative factor of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM). We examined PTHrP and its receptor (PTHR1) expression patterns in odontogenic cells in normal and HHM model rat incisors. Nontreated nude rats serving as the normal control and HHM model rats produced by implantation of PTHrP-expressing tumor (LC-6) cells were prepared. HHM rats fractured its incisor, and histopathologically, restrict population of odontoblasts showed findings classified as "shortening of high columnar odontoblasts" and "dentin niche." The incisors were immunostained against PTHrP and PTHR1. In normal rats, PTHrP and PTHR1 colocalized in ameloblasts, cementoblasts, and odontoblastic cells from mesenchymal cells to columnar odontoblasts. In high columnar odontoblasts, PTHrP solely expressed. In the HHM animals, although the expression patterns were identical to those of the normal rats in normal area, the shortened high columnar odontoblasts maintained PTHR1 expression and dentin niche comprising odontoblastic cells expressed both proteins. In the HHM model, the protein expression patterns changed in the odontoblastic cells with histological anomalies, and thus direct relations between the anomalies and PTHrP/PTHR1 axis are suggested.