Department of Orthodontics, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, China.
Calcif Tissue Int. 2010 Aug;87(2):158-67. doi: 10.1007/s00223-010-9377-9. Epub 2010 Jun 9.
Hormone deficiency has been recognized as a risk factor for periodontal disease in postmenopausal women. However, the anabolic effects of progesterone on human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) are still unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to detect the expression of progesterone receptor (PgR) in hPDLCs and investigate the bone-sparing effects of progesterone. We detected PgR expression in hPDLCs by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry. After progesterone stimulation, the percentage of hPDLCs entering the S + G2M phase of the cell cycle increased significantly, accompanied by an increased cell growth curve. In both basic culture medium and osteogenic medium, progesterone activated alkaline phosphatase-positive cells and alizarin red-positive nodules. Moreover, mineralization-related markers were up-regulated by progesterone in both time-dependent and dose-dependent manners. In contrast, these effects of progesterone were blocked by the PgR antagonist (RU486). Our results demonstrated that the PgR is expressed in hPDLCs at the gene and protein level, and that progesterone can stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of the hPDLCs. These findings suggest that progesterone may play a significant role in osteoblastic function of hPDLCs and may influence the maintenance of alveolar bone mass.
激素缺乏已被认为是绝经后妇女牙周病的一个风险因素。然而，孕激素对人牙周膜细胞（hPDLCs）的合成代谢作用尚不清楚。因此，本研究旨在检测孕激素受体（PgR）在 hPDLCs 中的表达，并探讨孕激素的保骨作用。我们通过逆转录-聚合酶链反应和免疫细胞化学检测 hPDLCs 中 PgR 的表达。孕激素刺激后，hPDLCs 进入细胞周期 S + G2M 期的比例明显增加，细胞生长曲线也随之增加。在基础培养基和成骨培养基中，孕激素均可激活碱性磷酸酶阳性细胞和茜素红阳性结节。此外，孕激素以时间和剂量依赖的方式上调了与矿化相关的标志物。相反，孕激素的这些作用被 PgR 拮抗剂（RU486）阻断。我们的研究结果表明，PgR 在 hPDLCs 中基因和蛋白水平均有表达，孕激素可刺激 hPDLCs 的增殖和分化。这些发现表明，孕激素可能在 hPDLCs 的成骨功能中发挥重要作用，并可能影响牙槽骨量的维持。
