Potential role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in transition from reaction to repair phase of bone healing process

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous population of immature myeloid cells with immunosuppressive functions; these cells play a key role in infection, immunization, chronic inflammation, and cancer. Recent studies have reported that immunosuppression plays an important role in the healing process of tissues and that Treg play an important role in fracture healing. MDSCs suppress active T cell proliferation and reduce the severity of arthritis in mice and humans. Together, these findings suggest that MDSCs play a role in bone biotransformation. In the present study, we examined the role of MDSCs in the bone healing process by creating a bone injury at the tibial epiphysis in mice. MDSCs were identified by CD11b and GR1 immunohistochemistry and their role in new bone formation was observed by detection of Runx2 and osteocalcin expression. Significant numbers of MDSCs were observed in transitional areas from the reactionary to repair stages. Interestingly, MDSCs exhibited Runx2 and osteocalcin expression in the transitional area but not in the reactionary area. And at the same area, cllagene-1 and ALP expression level increased in osteoblast progenitor cells. These data is suggesting that MDSCs emerge to suppress inflammation and support new bone formation. Here, we report, for the first time (to our knowledge), the role of MDSCs in the initiation of bone formation. MDSC appeared at the transition from inflammation to bone making and regulates bone healing by suppressing inflammation

Long-Term Effect of Honeycomb beta-Tricalcium Phosphate on Zygomatic Bone Regeneration in Rats

In recent years, artificial bones with high biocompatibility have been developed for hard tissue reconstruction. However, current bone replacement methods are inadequate for large defects, causing infection, exposure, and damage. We have developed a new honeycomb beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) material, which achieved good bone regeneration after implantation in a rat complete zygomatic bone defect. In this study, we further investigated the ability of honeycomb beta- TCP for remodeling after bone regeneration as a long-term result. Bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-2-free honeycomb beta-TCP (TCP group) and honeycomb beta-TCP with BMP-2 (BMP group) were implanted in the zygomatic bone of rats. Micro-computed tomography was performed to track the zygomatic bone morphology, and specimens were histologically examined for osteogenesis and remodeling. In the TCP group, no bone formation was observed at 1 month, but it was observed at 6 months. Bone formation was observed in the BMP group at 1 month, and beta-TCP absorption reproducing the zygomatic bone morphology was observed at 6 months. This honeycomb beta-TCP with BMP-2 may provide appropriate remodeling that reproduces good bone formation in the early stage and good morphology in the long term, offering an alternative bone reconstruction material to vascularized bone grafts

The Origin of Stroma Influences the Biological Characteristics of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Simple Summary Normal stromal cells play a significant role in the progression of cancers but are poorly investigated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In this study, we found that stromal cells derived from the gingival and periodontal ligament tissues could inhibit differentiation and promote the proliferation, invasion, and migration of OSCC both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, microarray data suggested that genes, such as CDK1, BUB1B, TOP2A, DLGAP5, BUB1, and CCNB2, probably play a role in influencing the different effects of gingival stromal tissue cells (G-SCs) and periodontal ligament stromal cells (P-SCs) on the progression of OSCC. Therefore, both G-SCs and P-SCs could promote the progression of OSCC, which could be a potential regulatory mechanism in the progression of OSCC. Normal stromal cells surrounding the tumor parenchyma, such as the extracellular matrix (ECM), normal fibroblasts, mesenchymal stromal cells, and osteoblasts, play a significant role in the progression of cancers. However, the role of gingival and periodontal ligament tissue-derived stromal cells in OSCC progression is unclear. In this study, the effect of G-SCs and P-SCs on the differentiation, proliferation, invasion, and migration of OSCC cells in vitro was examined by Giemsa staining, Immunofluorescence (IF), (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) (MTS), invasion, and migration assays. Furthermore, the effect of G-SCs and P-SCs on the differentiation, proliferation, and bone invasion by OSCC cells in vivo was examined by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, respectively. Finally, microarray data and bioinformatics analyses identified potential genes that caused the different effects of G-SCs and P-SCs on OSCC progression. The results showed that both G-SCs and P-SCs inhibited the differentiation and promoted the proliferation, invasion, and migration of OSCC in vitro and in vivo. In addition, genes, including CDK1, BUB1B, TOP2A, DLGAP5, BUB1, and CCNB2, are probably involved in causing the different effects of G-SCs and P-SCs on OSCC progression. Therefore, as a potential regulatory mechanism, both G-SCs and P-SCs can promote OSCC progression

Geometrical Structure of Honeycomb TCP to Control Dental Pulp-Derived Cell Differentiation

Recently, dental pulp has been attracting attention as a promising source of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for various clinical applications of regeneration fields. To date, we have succeeded in establishing rat dental pulp-derived cells showing the characteristics of odontoblasts under in vitro conditions. We named them Tooth matrix-forming, GFP rat-derived Cells (TGC). However, though TGC form massive dentin-like hard tissues under in vivo conditions, this does not lead to the induction of polar odontoblasts. Focusing on the importance of the geometrical structure of an artificial biomaterial to induce cell differentiation and hard tissue formation, we previously have succeeded in developing a new biomaterial, honeycomb tricalcium phosphate (TCP) scaffold with through-holes of various diameters. In this study, to induce polar odontoblasts, TGC were induced to form odontoblasts using honeycomb TCP that had various hole diameters (75, 300, and 500 mu m) as a scaffold. The results showed that honeycomb TCP with 300-mu m hole diameters (300TCP) differentiated TGC into polar odontoblasts that were DSP positive. Therefore, our study indicates that 300TCP is an appropriate artificial biomaterial for dentin regeneration

Effect of Honeycomb β-TCP Geometrical Structure on Bone Tissue Regeneration in Skull Defect

The effect of the geometric structure of artificial biomaterials on skull regeneration remains unclear. In a previous study, we succeeded in developing honeycomb beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP), which has through-and-through holes and is able to provide the optimum bone microenvironment for bone tissue regeneration. We demonstrated that beta-TCP with 300-mu m hole diameters induced vigorous bone formation. In the present study, we investigated how differences in hole directions of honeycomb beta-TCP (horizontal or vertical holes) influence bone tissue regeneration in skull defects. Honeycomb beta-TCP with vertical and horizontal holes was loaded with BMP-2 using Matrigel and Collagen gel as carriers, and transplanted into skull bone defect model rats. The results showed that in each four groups (Collagen alone group, Matrigel alone group, Collagen + BMP group and Matrigel + BMP-2), vigorous bone formation was observed on the vertical beta-TCP compared with horizontal beta-TCP. The osteogenic area was larger in the Matrigel groups (with and without BMP-2) than in the Collagen group (with and without BMP-2) in both vertical beta-TCP and horizontal beta-TCP. However, when BMP-2 was added, the bone formation area was not significantly different between the Collagen group and the Matrigel group in the vertical beta-TCP. Histological finding showed that, in vertical honeycomb beta-TCP, new bone formation extended to the upper part of the holes and was observed from the dura side to the periosteum side as added to the inner walls of the holes. Therefore, we can control efficient bone formation by creating a bone microenvironment provided by vertical honeycomb beta-TCP. Vertical honeycomb beta-TCP has the potential to be an excellent biomaterial for bone tissue regeneration in skull defects and is expected to have clinical applications

Regeneration of Dentin Using Stem Cells Present in the Pulp

Dentin is one of the major hard tissues of the teeth. Dentin is similar to bone in texture, but it is different from bone tissue histologically. It is formed by odontoblasts; however, these cells are present in a limited area in the human body and are not found anywhere other than the dental pulp. It is difficult to collect and proliferate mature odontoblasts for regenerative medicine. However, odontoblast are necessary for regenerating dentin. It is known that odontoblasts differentiate from mesenchymal stem cells in the dental pulp during tooth development. Dentin can be generated using the stem cells present in the pulp. Many stem cells are recruited from the bone marrow to the teeth, and it is possible that the stem cells present in the pulp are also supplied from the bone marrow. Herein, we explain the mechanism of stem cell supply to the teeth and the possibility of dentin regeneration by specific cell differentiation induction methods

Preparation of Absorption-Resistant Hard Tissue Using Dental Pulp-Derived Cells and Honeycomb Tricalcium Phosphate

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the treatment of bone defects using undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vivo. Recently, dental pulp has been proposed as a promising source of pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can be used in various clinical applications. Dentin is the hard tissue that makes up teeth, and has the same composition and strength as bone. However, unlike bone, dentin is usually not remodeled under physiological conditions. Here, we generated odontoblast-like cells from mouse dental pulp stem cells and combined them with honeycomb tricalcium phosphate (TCP) with a 300 mu m hole to create bone-like tissue under the skin of mice. The bone-like hard tissue produced in this study was different from bone tissue, i.e., was not resorbed by osteoclasts and was less easily absorbed than the bone tissue. It has been suggested that hard tissue-forming cells induced from dental pulp do not have the ability to induce osteoclast differentiation. Therefore, the newly created bone-like hard tissue has high potential for absorption-resistant hard tissue repair and regeneration procedures

Impact of the Stroma on the Biological Characteristics of the Parenchyma in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Solid tumors consist of the tumor parenchyma and stroma. The standard concept of oncology is that the tumor parenchyma regulates the tumor stroma and promotes tumor progression, and that the tumor parenchyma represents the tumor itself and defines the biological characteristics of the tumor tissue. Thus, the tumor stroma plays a pivotal role in assisting tumor parenchymal growth and invasiveness and is regarded as a supporter of the tumor parenchyma. The tumor parenchyma and stroma interact with each other. However, the influence of the stroma on the parenchyma is not clear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of the stroma on the parenchyma in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We isolated tumor stroma from two types of OSCCs with different invasiveness (endophytic type OSCC (ED-st) and exophytic type OSCC (EX-st)) and examined the effect of the stroma on the parenchyma in terms of proliferation, invasion, and morphology by co-culturing and co-transplanting the OSCC cell line (HSC-2) with the two types of stroma. Both types of stroma were partially positive for alpha-smooth muscle actin. The tumor stroma increased the proliferation and invasion of tumor cells and altered the morphology of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. ED-st exerted a greater effect on the tumor parenchyma in proliferation and invasion than EX-st. Morphological analysis showed that ED-st changed the morphology of HSC-2 cells to the invasive type of OSCC, and EX-st altered the morphology of HSC-2 cells to verrucous OSCC. This study suggests that the tumor stroma influences the biological characteristics of the parenchyma and that the origin of the stroma is strongly associated with the biological characteristics of the tumor

An in vitro three-dimensional co-culture system for ameloblastoma modelling

Ameloblastoma, the most clinically significant odontogenic epithelial tumor, is a locally-invasive and destructive lesion in the jawbones. However, the nature of this infiltrativeness and destructive behavior remains ill-understood. To address this, we established an in vitro three-dimensional (3D) co-culture system to simulate an amelobastoma disease model aimed at investigating the interactions between tumor cells and osteoblasts. Osteoblastic cell lines (KUSA/A1 and MC3T3-E1) and one stromal cell line (ST2) were separately co-seeded with ameloblastoma-derived cell line (AM-1) in a collagen scaffold (representing the extracellular bone matrix) and incubated with mineralization medium. Immunohistochemistry, double immunofluorescence and mineralization assay were performed. Only AM-1/KUSA-A1 co-culture showed a significant increase in AM-1 cell count, suggesting that heterotypic cell-cell interaction promotes tumoral cell growth, while formation of visible AM-1 epithelial nest-like structures resembling ameloblastoma cells in their native state, suggest morphodifferentiation. A RANK-high, RANKL-low and osteoprotegerin-low immunoprofile in co-culture AM-1 cells implies deregulated osteoclastogenesis. Mineralization assays showed diminished calcification in AM-1/KUSA-A1 co-culture extracellular matrix suggesting an altered local bone metabolism. In contrast, KUSA/A1 monocultures showed abundant extracellular matrix calcification. Taken together, these results suggest that a 3D co-culture system as an amelobastoma disease model provides insights that bidirectional ameloblastoma-osteoblastic interactions might play a role in modulating tumor growth and osteoclastogenesis

Involvement of Heat-Shock Proteins During Periodontal Ligament Remodeling

Mechanical stress induces various molecules such as heat-shock protein (HSP), which causes structural changes in the proteins in periodontal ligament (PDL). We carried out an experiment to induce traumatic occlusion in mouse PDL and analyzed the expression of HSPs. HSPs investigated acts differently depending on the time of expression. HSPs are constitutively expressed in the PDL and defend cells from stress and maintain homeostasis under normal conditions. During bone addition to the PDL on the tension side, HSP27 and HSP47, HSP70 also acts as molecular chaperone, which assists the maturation of bone morphogenetic proteins and aids osteoblast activation. In HSP 70 and HSP 47, mechanical stress is applied to the PDL on the tension side for a short period of time for alveolar bone repairing, and when abnormality occurs in the collagen structure fibroblasts of PDL, it functions at the injured site, whereby extracellular that promotes abnormal collagen secretion and stores the modified protein in the endoplasmic reticulum, there by controlling the decalcification of PDL. In other words, HSP47 and HSP70 are expressed in PDL fibroblasts on the pressure side damaged by application of mechanical stress and contribute to the repair of collagen tissue by activating PDL fibroblasts, supporting recovery from cell damage