Combined Effects of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 and Carbonate Apatite Granules on Periodontal Healing: An In Vivo and In Vitro Study.

The aim of this study was to investigate in vivo and in vitro the effectiveness of the use of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 with carbonate apatite (COAp) on periodontal healing. Periodontal defects created in the maxillary first molars in rats were treated with FGF-2, COAp, FGF-2 + COAp or left unfilled. Healing was evaluated using microcomputed tomography, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses. In vitro experiments were performed to assess cellular behaviors and the expression of osteoblastic differentiation markers in MC3T3-E1 cells. At 4 weeks, the bone volume fraction in the FGF-2 + COAp group was significantly greater than that in the COAp group, but there was no significant difference from the FGF-2 group. The FGF-2 + COAp group demonstrated greater new bone compared with the FGF-2 or COAp group. The FGF-2 + COAp group showed greater levels of osteocalcin-positive cells compared with the COAp group, but there was no significant difference from the FGF-2 group. In vitro, the FGF-2 + COAp group exhibited a greater extent of cell attachment and more elongated cells compared with the COAp group. Compared with the COAp group, the FGF-2 + COAp group showed significantly higher viability/proliferation, but the expressions of and were reduced. The results indicated that the use of FGF-2 with COAp enhanced healing in the periodontal defects. FGF-2 promoted cell attachment to and proliferation on COAp and regulated osteoblastic differentiation, thereby contributing to novel bone formation.