Abstract
This study was aimed to test the effect of fibronectin (FN), vitronectin (VN) and a fibronectin analog (fibronectin-like engineered protein) on the attachment of periodontal ligament cells to mechanically-treated and mechanically non-treated periodontally involved and non-diseased root surfaces in vitro. Periodontal ligament fibroblasts were incubated with a total of 44 periodontally diseased and nondiseased root slices which had been treated in the following manner : 1) FN applied to mechanicallytreated and non-treated root slices, 2) VN applied to mechanically-treated and non-treated root slices, 3) FN-like engineered protein applied to mechanicallytreated and non-treated root slices, and 4) mechanicallytreated and non-treated root slices. After the 1 hour incubation period in a humidified atmosphere of 95% air and 5 % CO2at 37°C, the adherence of the fibroblasts was determined using light microscopy with an ocular grid system and orientation was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the number of attached cells to non-diseased cementum sites was significantly greater than the number of attached cells to diseased cementum sites for all of the groups (p < 0.05). Likewise, the number of attached cells to mechanically-treated diseased cementum sites was significantly greater than the number of attached cells to mechanically-non-treated diseased cementum sites (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that these attachment factors cannot promote cell attachment to different cementum sites. (J. Oral Sci. 42, 33-38, 2000)
