Influence on proteoglycans in rat mandibular condylar cartilage induced by missing molars

Abstract

In order to examine changes in occlusion affect mandibular condylar cartilage, we studied the molecular biochemistry of proteoglycan changes that molar extraction induced in rat mandibular condylar cartilage. We removed all the left maxillary molars in eight-week-old male rat. Five weeks later proteoglycans were extracted from cartilage samples taken from the mandibular condyle. Analysis of the cartilage conducted by the western blotting method revealed the existence of the proteoglycans, aggrecan, decorin and fibromodulin as expected. We determined the amount of proteoglycan mRNA using the real-time PCR method. We found that there was a pronounced increase in all of the molecules on the side where the molars had been extracted. These results suggest that changes in occlusion accelerate the production of proteoglycans in mandibular condylar cartilage.