Apolipoprotein E is an effective biomarker for orthodontic tooth movement in patients treated with transmission...

Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is the core component of orthodontic treatment and is increasingly popular for treating malocclusions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) in OTM.

Thirty patients treated with transmission straight wire technology were selected and longitudinally tracked at 2 different stages of orthodontic treatment (initial 2 months and 12 months of orthodontic treatment). Total saliva was collected and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Western blotting was used to detect the difference in ApoE expression in the saliva samples of the 2 groups. The expression of ApoE was further verified by immunohistochemical staining in a mouse model of tooth movement.

The results of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry showed significant differences in the components of the salivary peptides in the 2 groups and peptides with a molecular weight of 2010.7 Da were predicted to be ApoE by database analysis. Western blotting further verified a significant difference in the expression of salivary ApoE in the 2 groups. In addition, an OTM model was successfully constructed in mice. The immunohistochemical staining results showed that ApoE expression significantly increased after force loading in the OTM model.

This study indicated that ApoE participated in and played a role during OTM in patients treated with transmission straight wire technology. This relationship might be related to alveolar bone reconstruction and root resorption. The results provide new ideas for research on the mechanism of tooth movement using precision medicine based on saliva detection.