BMC Oral Health (Apr 2018)

Role of cathepsin S In periodontal wound healing–an in vitro study on human PDL cells

  • Svenja Memmert,
  • Marjan Nokhbehsaim,
  • Anna Damanaki,
  • Andressa V. B. Nogueira,
  • Alexandra K. Papadopoulou,
  • Christina Piperi,
  • Efthimia K. Basdra,
  • Birgit Rath-Deschner,
  • Werner Götz,
  • Joni A. Cirelli,
  • Andreas Jäger,
  • James Deschner

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-018-0518-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

Read online

Abstract Background Cathepsin S is a cysteine protease, which is expressed in human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells under inflammatory and infectious conditions. This in vitro study was established to investigate the effect of cathepsin S on PDL cell wound closure. Methods An in vitro wound healing assay was used to monitor wound closure in wounded PDL cell monolayers for 72 h in the presence and absence of cathepsin S. In addition, the effects of cathepsin S on specific markers for apoptosis and proliferation were studied at transcriptional level. Changes in the proliferation rate due to cathepsin S stimulation were analyzed by an XTT assay, and the actions of cathepsin S on cell migration were investigated via live cell tracking. Additionally, PDL cell monolayers were treated with a toll-like receptor 2 agonist in the presence and absence of a cathepsin inhibitor to examine if periodontal bacteria can alter wound closure via cathepsins. Results Cathepsin S enhanced significantly the in vitro wound healing rate by inducing proliferation and by increasing the speed of cell migration, but had no effect on apoptosis. Moreover, the toll-like receptor 2 agonist enhanced significantly the wound closure and this stimulatory effect was dependent on cathepsins. Conclusions Our findings provide original evidence that cathepsin S stimulates PDL cell proliferation and migration and, thereby, wound closure, suggesting that this cysteine protease might play a critical role in periodontal remodeling and healing. In addition, cathepsins might be exploited by periodontal bacteria to regulate critical PDL cell functions.

Keywords