Revista de citología e histología

Histomorphometric Analysis of the Alveolar Bone for Two Weeks after Bone Morphogenetic Protein Transfer

Abstract

Mariko Kawai and Kiyoshi Ohura

Alveolar bone regeneration therapy is critical to retain the teeth and proper occlusion. Currently, alveolar bone loss is treated surgically using bone grafts or artificial bone, both of which carry the risk of complications, such as post-operative infection. A new, non-surgical therapy would help to improve patient safety levels and treatment success. Alveolar bone is always proceeding remodelling, and this makes it difficult for the clinicians and researchers to evaluate alveolar bone tissues after some regenerative treatments. In our previous studies, we developed a system for bone regeneration using non-viral bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) gene-expression plasmid vectors and in vivo electroporation for the ectopic bone formation in rat skeletal muscles. Here, we used bone morphometric analyses using calcein and tetracycline labelling in rats to evaluate changes in alveolar bone with our BMP gene-transfer system. We concluded that BMP-2/7 gene transfer to the periodontal tissues was an optimal therapy for the alveolar bone regeneration.