Search

In the developing tooth, 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate (HEBP) causes hypoplasia and hypomineralization of enamel and dentine. The present study was undertaken to clarify the effects of HEBP on the formation of dental tissues of tooth germs in an organ culture system. Mandibular first molars from 17.5-day-old mouse embryos were cultured with or without 250 microM HEBP in culture medium. Cultured tooth germs were analyzed by histological examination and by immunohistochemical localization using anti-amelogenin antibody. In cultured tooth germs treated with HEBP before the commencement of calcification in dentine, calcification of dentine matrix was inhibited completely and enamel formation was not observed. Ameloblasts were directly adjacent to dentine matrix. However, immunohistochemical data indicated that these ameloblasts secreted amelogenin. In the experiments of adding HEBP to cultured tooth germs on culture day 13, calcified dentine and enamel had formed before the administration of HEBP, but the dentine matrix newly formed after the administration of HEBP had not calcified. It was confirmed by immunohistochemical observations that enamel matrix-like material had penetrated into uncalcified dentine matrix and accumulated in dental papilla of tooth germs. However, no enamel matrix-like material was observed in calcified dentine and predentine underneath the calcified dentine by immunohistochemical staining. From these results, it might be concluded that ameloblasts secreted enamel matrix in the presence of HEBP and diffused through uncalcified dentine matrix into dental papilla. These findings suggests the calcification of dentine might be essential for the physical barrier to accumulate the enamel matrix and form a distinct layer of enamel as enamel.

In this study, we introduce a cultivation method for mandibular first molars from mouse embryos. We also investigate the in vitro effects of several drugs on tooth formation. Histological observations demonstrated that the tooth germ dissected from 17-day-old embryonic mice and cultivated for 7 days under the conditions described here showed clear mineralization in the dentin and enamel. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and calcium content in the tooth germ increased developmentally during 7-day cultivation. The increase of calcium was preceded by that of ALP in the germ. The removal of ALP attached covalently to the external surface of plasma membranes by phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase C disturbed in vitro mineralization in the tooth germ, suggesting that ALP functioning as an ectoenzyme is involved in the physiological process of tooth formation. To elucidate the effects of calcium regulating hormones and several drugs on tooth mineralization, ALP and calcium content were measured and also the tooth germ was observed histologically. The results obtained from the present study suggest that this in vitro system provides a useful tool for investigating both the direct action of drugs on tooth formation and the mechanisms of drug action.