Proliferation and adhesion of periodontal ligament cells on synthetic biominerals Junko Hatakeyama a, * , Yuji Hatakeyama b , Ichiro Takahashi c , Osamu Suzuki d , Yasuyuki Sasano a a Division of Craniofacial Development and Regeneration, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, 4-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan b Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Japan c Division of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Japan d Division of Craniofacial Function Engineering, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Japan Abstract. The present study was designed to investigate the proliferation and expression of adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules in periodontal ligament (PDL) cells cultured on synthetic calcium phosphates, octacalcium phosphate and its hydrolyzed apatitic product comparing with those cultured on collagen and plastic substrates. Our results suggest that PDL cells expressing various integrins are attached to the synthetic biomineral analogues through collagens and fibronectin produced by themselves. These calcium phosphates relevant to biomineralization may support proliferation and adhesion of PDL cells in vivo. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Periodontal ligament; Synthetic biominerals; Cell adhesion; Integrin; RGD 1. Introduction Synthetic biomineral analogues have been examined if they support differentiation of various cellular phenotypes in calcified tissues when used as biomaterials. Biological apatite is formed via precursor phases, such as octacalcium phosphate (OCP) [1]. It has been suggested that synthetic OCP promotes osteoblast differentiation and enhances bone formation when implanted in the subperiosteal region [2,3] or in bone defects experimentally [4,5]. In contrast, no information is available about biological response 0531-5131/ D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ics.2005.06.089 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 22 717 8287; fax: +81 22 717 8288. E-mail address: junko-h@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp (J. Hatakeyama). International Congress Series 1284 (2005) 328 – 329 www.ics-elsevier.com