miRNA-Based Early Healing Mechanism of Extraction Sockets: miR-190a-5p, a Potential Enhancer of Bone Healing

Tooth extraction causes a wound with hard and soft tissue defects in the alveolar ridge. Few studies have reported the function of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the healing of extraction sockets. This study used bioinformatics analysis to reveal the possible relevance and role of miRNAs during the early stages following tooth extraction.

Socket tissues from beagle dogs (Canis familiaris; two males and two females) were collected 1 and 12 hours after extraction of premolars on both sides of the mandible. miRNA expression was profiled through miRNA sequencing, and hub miRNAs showing characteristic expression patterns were selected and subjected to target enrichment analysis. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were performed to verify the effect of hub miRNA on osteoblast differentiation and bone regeneration in vivo.

Five miRNAs were identified to have consistently high expression levels, with cfa-miR-451 showing the highest expression. Additionally, 20 hub miRNAs were selected as candidates expected to play an important role in the healing process. Pathways, such as the MAPK, axon guidance, TGF-β, and Wnt signaling, were significantly enriched. Among hub miRNAs, miR-190a-5p increased ALP activity and mRNA expression of osteogenic markers and increased new bone formation in vivo.

Our findings suggest that miRNAs may be involved in the earliest stages of socket healing after tooth extraction and can play an important role in moderating the entire socket healing mechanism in the extraction socket.