In vivo experimental model of human gingival mucosa using immunodeficient mice.
OBJECTIVE
To establish an in vivo experimental model for examining human periodontal tissue, the present study examined several transplant techniques that maintain the structure and characteristics of human gingival mucosa.


METHODS
Human oral mucosal tissue samples were collected from the gingiva (n = 11), palate (n = 1), and tongue (n = 3). These mucosal grafts were transplanted onto BALB/c nu/scid mice with double-mutant immunodeficiency. Murine skin, twice the size of the graft, was cut open in an ' square superset'-shape. Next, the connective tissue side of the graft was placed onto the murine connective tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis was also performed, using polyclonal rabbit antibody to involucrin, monoclonal antibody to vimentin, monoclonal antibody to CD34, and monoclonal antibody to Ki-67, to determine whether the characteristics of human oral mucosa were maintained.


RESULTS
When the connective tissue side of the graft was placed on the murine fascial membrane, the histological structure of the graft was maintained for 60 d. These grafts were examined for human characteristics using human-specific antibodies. Immunohistochemically, the expression patterns of involucrin, vimentin, and Ki-67 indicated that transplanted mucosa revealed normal human characteristics, including differentiation and proliferation up to 80 d. CD34 was not detected in the graft endothelial cells.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study revealed that the novel technique of transplantation of human gingival mucosa in nu/scid mice may serve as an in vivo experimental model of periodontal disease.
Tsukinoki
K
K
Division of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic Science, Kanagawa Dental College, Kanagawa, Japan. ktsukino@kdcnet.ac.jp
Miyoshi
Y
Y
Aoki
T
T
Karakida
K
K
Ohta
Y
Y
Kaneko
A
A
Ueyama
Y
Y
Watanabe
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D062109:Dermatologic Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016513:Mice, SCID; D008875:Middle Aged; D023421:Models, Animal; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000637:transplantation*; D010159:Palate / Q000601:surgery; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000032:analysis; D011817:Rabbits; D017463:Receptors, Complement 3b / Q000032:analysis; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D014059:Tongue / Q000637:transplantation; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000379:methods*; D014746:Vimentin / Q000032:analysis
C509991:CR1 protein, human; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D011498:Protein Precursors; D017463:Receptors, Complement 3b; D014746:Vimentin; C032253:involucrin