Effects of polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) on human periodontal ligament fibroblast (HPLF) function. I....

Human periodontal ligament fibroblast (HPLF) cultured on tissue culture dishes (TCD), irrespective of the presence of serum, showed only a spreading form. In contrast, using polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) as a matrix, HPLF showed spreading, round, and aggregate forms. Cells of the inner part of the aggregate contacted with each other to form a three-dimensional structure, and this condition corresponded to typical tissues in vivo. These seemed to be related to the interrelation between growth and morphology; that is, the HPLF of the spreading form was considered to belong to a proliferation phase, and the HPLF of the round and aggregate forms, with a little growth, seemed to belong to a functional phase of the cell cycle, indicating that PEC is able to control such cell functions as proliferation, morphology, and differentiation. The cell aggregate was observed only on PEC with carboxymethyl residues and was stained by alizarin red (AR), which suggested mineralization. The spreading cells on PEC containing sulfate residues were not stained by AR. Therefore, it was found that there was a certain relationship between cell growth and morphology, and that PEC affected the cell cycle and promoted proliferation and differentiation of HPLF.