Functional characteristics of gingival and periodontal ligament fibroblasts
Gingival and periodontal ligament fibroblasts (GF, PDLF) are thought to be functioning differently in the healing phase of guided tissue regeneration (GTR). This study compared GF and PDLF isolated from five healthy subjects. The morphology was observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Extracellular matrix components were studied, as were biochemical markers and the effect of epithelial cells on the proliferation and protein synthesis of the two types of fibroblasts. Under SEM, the two fibroblasts were identical. The biochemical markers were similarly distributed between the two types. There were different expressions for alpha-smooth-muscle actin and desmin and for smooth-muscle myosin. The in vitro results may better explain the in vivo functional differences between GF and PDLF. [J.Y.K.]
Giannopoulou, C., and G. Cimasoni, J Dent Res, 75:895, 1996