An immunohistochemical study examining the role of collagen type VI in the rodent periodontal ligament.

The distribution of collagen types I and VI has been examined in the periodontal ligaments of rat incisor and molar teeth using cryosections and immunohistochemical staining procedures. The stain for collagen type I was uniform in all the ligaments examined. Uniform staining for collagen type VI was evident only in the ligament of the fully erupted molars, and the stain was absent from the mid-zone of the ligaments of the erupting molars and incisors. The staining pattern of the collagen type VI antibodies is consistent with previous reports which have suggested that the removal of collagen type VI precedes the degradation of major banded collagen fibrils in remodelling connective tissues. The removal of collagen type VI from the mid-zone of the incisor ligament may precede the remodelling events which facilitate tooth eruption.