Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of involucrin and filaggrin in the peri-implant epithelium(PIE) .
Materials and Methods: Titanium implants, 2 mm in diameter and 5 mm in length, were surgically implanted in the palatal region of rats. Animals were sacrificed at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days after the implantation. Paraffin sections were cut, and hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical staining was performed using primary antibodies to involucrin and filaggrin.
Results: Involucrin in the PIE immunoreacted with almost all epithelial cells except basal cells 3 days after implantation, but was positive only in the upper area of the spinous layer at 7, 14 and 28 days after implantation. Further, involucrin-positive cells could be observed in the apical portion of the PIE at 3 and 7 days after implantation, but not at 14 and 28 days. The measurement of the involucrin ratio decreased day by day. Filaggrin immunoreacted at the upper portion of the spinous layer of normal oral mucosal epithelium, but not in the entire layer of PIE at 3, 7 and 14 days or in the apical portion of the PIE at 28 days after implantation.
Conclusion: The PIE in the apical portion is structured by basal cells which contact the implant material, but the barrier function of the cornified layer does not function well at an early stage.
