Bone marrow-derived cells homing for self-repair of periodontal tissues: a histological characterization and expression analysis.

Periodontitis, a disease leads to the formation of periodontal defect, can result in tooth loss if left untreated. The therapies to repair/regenerate periodontal tissues have attracted lots of attention these years. Bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs), a group of cells containing heterogeneous stem/progenitor cells, are capable of homing to injured tissues and participating in tissue repair/regeneration. The amplification of autologous BMDCs' potential in homing for self-repair/regeneration, therefore, might be considered as an alternative therapy except for traditional cell transplantation. However, the knowledge of the BMDCs' homing and participation in periodontal repair/regeneration is still known little. For the purpose of directly observing BMDCs' involvement in periodontal repair, chimeric mouse models were established to make their bone marrow cells reconstituted with cells expressing green enhanced fluorescence protein (EGFP) in this study. One month after bone marrow transplantation, periodontal defects were made on the mesial side of bilateral maxillary first molars in chimeric mice. The green fluorescence protein-positive (GFP+) BMDCS in periodontal defect regions were examined by bioluminescent imaging and immunofluorescence staining. GFP+ BMDCs were found to aggregate in the periodontal defect regions and emerge in newly-formed bones or fibers. Some of them also co-expressed markers of fibroblasts, osteoblasts or vascular endothelial cells. These results indicated that BMDCs might contribute to the formation of new fibers, bones and blood vessels during periodontal repair. In conclusion, we speculated that autologous BMDCs were capable of negotiating into the surgical sites created by periodontal operation and participating in tissue repair.