PLoS ONE (Jan 2011)

Functional tooth regeneration using a bioengineered tooth unit as a mature organ replacement regenerative therapy.

  • Masamitsu Oshima,
  • Mitsumasa Mizuno,
  • Aya Imamura,
  • Miho Ogawa,
  • Masato Yasukawa,
  • Hiromichi Yamazaki,
  • Ritsuko Morita,
  • Etsuko Ikeda,
  • Kazuhisa Nakao,
  • Teruko Takano-Yamamoto,
  • Shohei Kasugai,
  • Masahiro Saito,
  • Takashi Tsuji

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021531
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 7
p. e21531

Abstract

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Donor organ transplantation is currently an essential therapeutic approach to the replacement of a dysfunctional organ as a result of disease, injury or aging in vivo. Recent progress in the area of regenerative therapy has the potential to lead to bioengineered mature organ replacement in the future. In this proof of concept study, we here report a further development in this regard in which a bioengineered tooth unit comprising mature tooth, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, was successfully transplanted into a properly-sized bony hole in the alveolar bone through bone integration by recipient bone remodeling in a murine transplantation model system. The bioengineered tooth unit restored enough the alveolar bone in a vertical direction into an extensive bone defect of murine lower jaw. Engrafted bioengineered tooth displayed physiological tooth functions such as mastication, periodontal ligament function for bone remodeling and responsiveness to noxious stimulations. This study thus represents a substantial advance and demonstrates the real potential for bioengineered mature organ replacement as a next generation regenerative therapy.