Effects of glycosaminoglycans on in vitro mouse dental cells

Trypsin-dissociated dental papillae and enamel organs removed from the first lower molars of day-18 and day-19 mouse embryos were cultivated for 2 to 4 days on Millipore filters in DMEM supplemented with 15 per cent fetal calf serum and chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid, individually or together. Three concentrations of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were also added to the media (01, 0.2, 0.4 mg/ml). Control cultures were made in the absence of GAGs, and additional experiments performed in which the presence of GAGs was associated with serum-free medium. Elongated and polarized odontoblasts showing synthetic activity were only observed in the presence of serum containing medium supplemented with 0.1 or 0.2 mg/ml of the GAGs. [3H]-thymidine autoradiography demonstrated that these cells were already post-mitotic at the onset of the culture. Polarized ameloblasts were never observed. These data provide evidence that GAGs are able to maintain the polarized state of cultured odontoblasts.