Hertwig's epithelial root sheath cells show potential for periodontal complex regeneration

Fei Bi; Huilin Tang; Zhijun Zhang; Yun Lyu; Fangjun Huo; Guoqing Chen; Weihua Guo

doi:10.1002/JPER.22-0072

Hertwig's epithelial root sheath cells show potential for periodontal complex regeneration

J Periodontol. 2023 Feb;94(2):263-276. doi: 10.1002/JPER.22-0072. Epub 2022 Nov 6.

Authors

Fei Bi^{1

2

3

4

5}, Huilin Tang^{1

2

3

4

5}, Zhijun Zhang^{1

2

3

4

5}, Yun Lyu^{1

2

3

4}, Fangjun Huo^{1

2

3

4}, Guoqing Chen^{1

2

3

4}, Weihua Guo^{1

2

3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Engineering Research Center of Oral Translational Medicine, Ministry of Education, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
² National Engineering Laboratory for Oral Regenerative Medicine, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
⁴ National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
⁵ Department of Pediatric Dentistry, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

PMID: 35912965
DOI: 10.1002/JPER.22-0072

Abstract

Background: Although researchers have been exploring therapeutic strategies of treating serious periodontal tissue loss, including the application of stem cells, tissue regeneration of the periodontal complex involving cementum, periodontium, and alveolar bone has hardly been achieved. Aiming at tackling the problem of severely damaged periodontal complex, it is worth trying to make advantages of Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS) cells to tissue regeneration mimicking the physiological developmental process with their ability of cementum, bone, and periodontium formation.

Methods: HERS cells and dental follicle cells (DFCs) were acquired from Sprague Dawley rats' molar germs and identified by immunofluorescence. Alizarin red assay, ALP staining, AKP test, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot were conducted to confirm the osteogenic potential, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) character of harvested HERS cells and epithelial-mesenchymal interaction (EMI) with DFCs. An animal model of periodontal defect was constructed to testify the tissue regeneration ability in vivo. Micro-CT and histological examinations were interpreted to unveil the tissue repair outcomes.

Results: HERS cells expressed strong epithelial cell markers CK14 and E-cadherin. The in vitro experiments overall showed the concretely enhanced osteogenic differentiation ability in either HERS group or HERS+DFC group. Meanwhile, the in vivo conduction of rat mandibular periodontal repair experiment showed regenerative effectiveness of periodontal complex structure in both HERS and HERS+DFC group in situ, testified by Micro-CT and histological analysis.

Conclusions: HERS cells show potential for periodontal tissue regeneration which suggests the future possibilities of being considered as one of the cell choices for severely damaged periodontal tissue repair.

Keywords: Hertwig's epithelial root sheath; epithelial-mesenchymal interaction; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; periodontal regeneration.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cell Differentiation / physiology
Dental Cementum
Epithelial Cells
Osteogenesis*
Periodontium
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Tooth Root*