Research Institute for Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Chiba, Japan.
PLoS One. 2011;6(7):e21531. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021531. Epub 2011 Jul 12.
Donor organ transplantation is currently an essential therapeutic approach to the replacement of a dysfunctional organ as a result of disease, injury or aging in vivo. Recent progress in the area of regenerative therapy has the potential to lead to bioengineered mature organ replacement in the future. In this proof of concept study, we here report a further development in this regard in which a bioengineered tooth unit comprising mature tooth, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, was successfully transplanted into a properly-sized bony hole in the alveolar bone through bone integration by recipient bone remodeling in a murine transplantation model system. The bioengineered tooth unit restored enough the alveolar bone in a vertical direction into an extensive bone defect of murine lower jaw. Engrafted bioengineered tooth displayed physiological tooth functions such as mastication, periodontal ligament function for bone remodeling and responsiveness to noxious stimulations. This study thus represents a substantial advance and demonstrates the real potential for bioengineered mature organ replacement as a next generation regenerative therapy.
供体器官移植目前是治疗因疾病、损伤或衰老导致的体内功能失调器官的重要方法。再生治疗领域的最新进展有可能在未来导致生物工程成熟器官替代。在本概念验证研究中，我们在此报告了这方面的进一步发展，即在小鼠移植模型系统中，通过受体骨重塑，使包括成熟牙齿、牙周韧带和牙槽骨的生物工程牙齿单元通过骨整合成功移植到牙槽骨的适当大小的骨孔中，从而成功构建了一个生物工程牙齿单元。生物工程牙齿单元在垂直方向上恢复了足够的牙槽骨，从而填补了小鼠下颌骨广泛的骨缺损。植入的生物工程牙齿显示出生理牙齿功能，如咀嚼、牙周韧带对骨重塑的功能和对有害刺激的反应。因此，这项研究是一个重大进展，证明了生物工程成熟器官替代作为下一代再生疗法的真正潜力。
