Stimulation of osteoblasts with Emdogain increases the expression of specific mineralization markers

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of enamel matrix derivative on mRNA expression of markers related to periodontal healing. Study design. Murine osteoprogenitor cells (MC3T3-E1) were grown for 12 and 16 days in mineralization media and stimulated with 100 mu g/mL Emdogain (EMD). Cell cultures treated with 2% and 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) served as control. The mRNA expression of bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteopontin (OPN), and runt-related protein 2 (Runx2) was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. One-way analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis. Results. Stimulation with EMD significantly (P < .01) enhanced mRNA expression of BSP up to 13.9-fold and of OPN up to 3.2-fold at day 16 compared with the 2% FCS control. The expression of mRNA for transcription factor Runx2 was not significantly changed. Conclusion. The beneficial effects seen in periodontal regeneration after treatment with EMD may be related to an increase of the mineralization markers BSP and OPN at mRNA level.