Proliferation, migration and apoptosis of periodontal ligament cells after tooth replantation
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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
The Establishment of a Murine Maxillary Orthodontic Model
Published on: October 27, 2023
K Sato1, T Muramatsu, Y Tsuchiya
1Department of Pathology, Tokyo Dental College, Mihama-ku, Chiba, Japan.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate the proliferation, migration and death of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells after tooth replantation.
Materials And Methods:
Maxillary first molars were extracted from 4-week-old male (n = 28) Sprague-Dawley rats and immediately replanted, after which, proliferation, migration and death of PDL cells were investigated.
Results:
At 3 days after tooth replantation, many proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive PDL cells were observed on the alveolar bone side, but fewer on the root side. However, while a gradual decrease was observed in number of PCNA-positive PDL cells on the alveolar bone side until 7 days, an increase was seen on the root side. At 3 weeks, cells labeled with PKH26 (fluorescent dye into plasma membrane) were located in the middle of the PDL space. However, these PKH26-labeled cells did not spread to the surface of the cementum or the alveolar bone. TUNEL-positive cells were observed on both the bone and root sides at 3 days. Number of apoptotic cells increased until 7 days on the bone sides, but decreased on root sides.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that both cell proliferation and apoptosis occur in different patterns and at different times to maintain regular spacing of the PDL after tooth replantation.
