Fluoride alters type I collagen expression in the early stages of odontogenesis
Maciejewska, I.; Spodnik, J.H.; Domaradzka-Pytel, B.; Sidor-Kaczmarek, J.; Bereznowski, Z.
Folia Morphologica 65(4): 359-366
2006
ISSN/ISBN: 0015-5659 PMID: 17171616 Document Number: 595483
Fluoride alters the expression and post-translational modifications of extracellular matrix proteins in dentin. The aim of our study was to determine the effects of fluoride on type I collagen expression during the early stages of tooth germ development in rats. Pregnant dams were divided into three groups and fed a standard diet. From the fifth day of pregnancy the three groups received tap water with, respectively, trace amounts of fluoride (C), a low fluoride concentration (F-L) or and a high fluoride concentration (I). Changes in type I collagen expression and distribution were evaluated. The expression of type I Collagen was restricted to the extracellular spaces of cells of mesenchymal origin. In the youngest animals the most intense immunoreactivity for type I collagen was detected in predentin of the F-L group. Although the intensity of immunostaining increased in proportion to the age of the animals, the largest increase in the groups investigated was detected in the F-L group. We concluded that a low concentration of fluoride can act as a stimulator of type I collagen deposition in the extracellular matrix of dentin, while high concentrations of fluoride have an opposite effect, acting as an inhibitor of type I collagen formation in dentin.