Neurotransmitters, cytokines, and the control of alveolar bone remodeling in orthodontics

This article described research aimed at testing the hypothesis that tissue remodeling during orthodontic tooth movement is modulated, at least in part, by factors derived from the nervous and vascular (immune) systems. Specifically, the neurotransmitters SP and VIP and the cytokines IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta were localized immunohistochemically in paradental tissues of cat canines that had been treated by the application of an 80 g tipping force for 1 hour to 14 days. Increased staining (concentrations) of these agents were found in areas of PDL tension and compression at different time periods. Moreover, administration of SP and IL-1 beta to human PDL fibroblasts in vitro for 1 to 60 minutes resulted in significant increases in the levels of the intracellular "second messenger" cAMP, as well as of PGE2, a plasma membrane-associated fatty acid believed to serve as a local regulator of bone cell activity. Taken together, these results tend to support the hypothesis that neurotransmitters and cytokines play a regulatory role in orthodontic force-induced alveolar bone remodeling. Consequently, determination of the cytokine synthetic activity by leukocytes of orthodontic patients may inform about their alveolar bone remodeling potential.