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Updated: Jul 21, 2026

Development of Amelogenin-chitosan Hydrogel for In Vitro Enamel Regrowth with a Dense Interface
Published on: July 10, 2014
Dose-dependent modulation of octacalcium phosphate crystal habit by amelogenins
H B Wen1, J Moradian-Oldak, A G Fincham
1Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033, USA. hbw@hsc.usc.edu
Abstract:
In vitro studies on interactions between amelogenins and calcium phosphate crystals are critical for elucidating biomineralization mechanisms of tooth enamel. This work was aimed at investigating the effects of native porcine amelogenins on octacalcium phosphate (OCP) crystal growth in a gelatin gel. We prepared OCP mineral discs by circulating calcium and phosphate solutions on the opposite ends of the gels loaded with 0-2% amelogenin for one week. A dose-dependent modulation of OCP crystal habit by amelogenins was observed by scanning electron microscopy. While the incorporation of 0.125, 0.25, or 0.5% amelogenins showed no significant effect on the crystal morphology, in the presence of 1 and 2% amelogenins, the crystals were remarkably longer, having an average aspect ratio 3-5 times greater than that of those formed in the control gels. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy suggested that amelogenin assemblies selectively blocked b-axial development, resulting in the c-axial elongation of OCP crystals.
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