title: Application of periodontal ligament cell sheet for periodontal regeneration: a pilot study in beagle dogs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The ultimate goal of periodontal treatment is to regenerate the damaged periodontal support. Although periodontal ligament (PDL) cells are essential for periodontal regeneration, few studies have reported the transplantation of periodontal ligament cells to periodontal defects. We developed a new method to apply periodontal ligament cells as a sheet to the defect. The aim of this study was to investigate the periodontal healing after application of the periodontal ligament cell sheet in beagle dogs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Autologous periodontal ligament cells were obtained from extracted premolars of each beagle dog. Periodontal ligament cell sheets were fabricated using a temperature-responsive cell culture dish. Dehiscence defects were surgically created on the buccal surface of the mesial roots of bilateral mandibular first molars of each dog. In the experimental group (five defects), periodontal ligament cell sheet with reinforced hyaluronic acid carrier was applied to the defect. Only the hyaluronic acid carrier was applied to the contralateral side as a control (five defects). Eight weeks after surgery, the animals were sacrificed and decalcified specimens were prepared. Healing of the periodontal defects was evaluated histologically and histometrically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No clinical signs of inflammation or recession of gingiva were observed in both experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, periodontal tissue healing with bone, periodontal ligament and cementum formation was observed in three out of five defects. In the control group, such periodontal tissue formation was not observed except in one defect. Histometric analysis revealed that the formation of new cementum in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The periodontal ligament cell sheet has a potential to regenerate periodontal tissue and may become a novel regenerative therapy.
authors.affiliation: Periodontology, Department of Hard Tissue Engineering, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. akizuki.peri@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akizuki
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: Motohiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komaki
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuchioka
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawakatsu
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamato
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000637:transplantation; D003739:Dental Cementum; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D016557:Guided Tissue Regeneration, Periodontal / Q000379:methods*; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008963:Molar / Q000601:surgery; D010513:Periodontal Ligament / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid