Immunohistological Characterization of Newly Formed Tissues after Regenerative Procedure in Immature Dog Teeth

Introduction: In a previous report, we showed that 2 types of mineralized tissues were formed in the canal spaces of dogs after tissue engineering treatments of immature teeth with apical periodontitis: (1) dentin-associated mineralized tissue (DAMT) and (2) bony islands (BIs). The objective of this study was to characterize these mineralized tissues. Methods: The maturation and organization of collagen matrices in DAMT, BIs, and the interface between DAMT and the dentin wall were characterized using a histochemical method with picrosirius red staining under polarized light microscopy. In addition, the distribution of 2 noncollagenous proteins (ie, dentin sialoprotein and bone sialoprotein) in these tissues was investigated by immunohistochemical methods with specific antibodies. Results: The results showed that DAMT is distinct from dentin, bone, or BIs. Although it resembled cementum to an extent showing similar immunoreactivity to the noncollagenous proteins, the organization and maturation of collagen matrix was significantly different from cementum. BIs resembled a bone matrix in terms of morphology, collagen organization, and immunoreactivity. Conclusions: The results indicate that DAMT and BIs formed in the canal space are distinct from each other, one exhibiting a unique mineralized tissue and the other a bone-like tissue. (J Endod 2011;37:1636-1641)