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Biomedical subjects

W Beertsen

Publications and source records attributed to W Beertsen.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Metalloproteinases are not involved in the phagocytosis of collagen fibrils by fibroblasts.

The effect of various metalloproteinase-inhibiting compounds on collagen phagocytosis by fibroblasts was studied in cultured periosteal tissue. Evidence is presented indicating that neither anti-collagenase nor anti-stromelysin interfere with the uptake of collagen fibrils from the extracellular space and their intracellular digestion. Similar results were obtained with tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP). In the presence of the proteinase inhibitor leupeptin, a compound which strongly inhibits the intracellular degradation of phagocytosed collagen, a time-dependent increase in the amount of internalized collagen was found. This increase proved to be similar in explants treated as well as in those not treated with the metalloproteinase-inhibiting compounds. It is concluded that enzymes, such as collagenase and stromelysin, do not play a crucial role in the phagocytosis and intracellular digestion of collagen fibrils by fibroblasts. If these enzymes are involved it must be prior to these events. Based on the morphometric data the intralysosomal degradation time of collagen was calculated to be about 30 minutes. A comparison with findings in the literature on collagen metabolism in the periodontal ligament of the rat molar suggests that all collagen degraded may pass through the phagolysome pathway during physiological turnover and remodelling.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Calcification of dentinal collagen by cultured rabbit periosteum: the role of alkaline phosphatase.

Periostea were dissected from 1-2 weeks old rabbit calvaria and folded around decalcified and extracted bovine dentin matrix slices (DMS). The cocultures were grown in serum-containing medium supplemented with beta-glycerophosphate or other organic phosphate esters. [45Ca]-uptake measurements indicated that the DMS calcified. Initiation of the calcification process was associated with alkaline phosphatase activity and could be prevented by adding the inhibitor L-levamisole to the culture medium. Using [32P]-adenosine-monophosphate as a substrate for phosphatase activity it was demonstrated that very little, if any, phosphate was utilized for the phosphorylation of higher molecular weight substances. The results suggest that over 99% of the phosphate produced was laid down in inorganic form. Further, it was noted that mineral deposition in the DMS was accompanied by the simultaneous inclusion of methylene blue and PAS-positive substances whose nature, origin and function remain to be determined. The results lend support to the theory that alkaline phosphatase is involved in the initiation of calcification processes by raising the local concentration of phosphate ions.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1988

Effects of the proteinase inhibitors leupeptin and E-64 on osteoclastic bone resorption.

To determine the possible involvement of cysteine-proteinases in bone matrix degradation by osteoclasts, the effects of the proteinase inhibitors leupeptin and E-64 were studied in an in vitro system using mouse bone explants. It was observed that in explants treated with the drugs, the amount of demineralized matrix opposing the ruffled border of the osteoclasts increased about 20-fold within 6 hours. This suggests that demineralization had proceeded whereas matrix degradation had been retarded. It was further noticed that in 12 of 287 osteoclasts, cytoplasmic vacuoles were present containing collagen fibrils that could not be distinguished from those in cartilage or bone. Their intracellular localization was proved by the study of serial sections. Finally, a significant reduction was shown as to the relative surface density of electron-translucent vacuoles; this would seem to suggest reduced endocytic activity of the cells. Our observations support the view that cysteine-proteinases play an important role in osteoclastic bone resorption. It was further noticed that the in vitro effects of leupeptin and E-64 in certain respects resemble ultrastructural features of pycnodysostosis, an osteopetrosislike bone disorder. The data are in line with the hypothesis that this disease is caused by insufficient activity of osteoclastic cysteine-proteinases.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Localization of cathepsin B activity in fibroblasts and chondrocytes by continuous monitoring of the formation of a final fluorescent reaction product using 5-nitrosalicylaldehyde.

The histochemical fluorescence method using 5-nitrosalicylaldehyde for the demonstration of cathepsin B activity has been used. Precipitation of the fluorescent final reaction product was analysed continuously during incubation for cathepsin B activity. Unfixed cultured human fibroblasts as well as cryostat sections of mouse metacarpal bone explants were used. Continuous monitoring of the formation of the fluorescent reaction product showed that after a certain lag phase, depending on the enzyme activity in the tissue, discrete granules appeared which became increasingly fluorescent with incubation time. Subsequently, recrystallization and redistribution of the final reaction product started to occur. It is concluded that the coupling reaction with 5-nitrosalicylaldehyde is sufficiently fast for a proper localization of proteinase activity and can be used for 'kinetic' analysis of enzyme activity. The method provides indications of relative amounts of cathepsin B activity in different cell types within a tissue section. It appeared from the study on metacarpal bone explants that fibroblasts in perichondrium and periosteum contained a relatively high cathepsin B activity whereas chondrocytes showed a low but distinct activity. This observation suggests that cysteine proteinases are not only involved in collagen degradation by fibroblasts but that they also play a role in the intracellular digestion of collagen by chondrocytes.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed1987

Effects of 1-hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-bisphosphonate (HEBP) on the synthesis of dentin matrix proteins in the mouse.

The drug 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate (HEBP) is known to inhibit the mineralization of bone and dentin. Its mechanism of action, however, has not yet been elucidated. In order to study its effects on dentinogenesis, mice were supplied with either physiological saline or HEBP in a dose of 10 mg P/kg body weight. This dose is known to interfere with the deposition of mineral crystallites in dentin matrix. The animals were then given a combined injection of [3H]-serine and [14C]-proline (or [14C]-glycine) and killed 8-9 days thereafter. The dentin proteins were isolated and fractionated in soluble proteins among which phosphoproteins, CNBr-peptides of collagen and collagen-associated phosphoproteins. It was found that HEBP had a strong inhibitory effect on the synthesis of phosphoproteins and to a lesser extent on that of collagen. The inhibition of the formation of these proteins is supposed to be related to the impaired calcification of dentin under the influence of the bisphosphonate.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

The role of microtubules in the phagocytosis of collagen by fibroblasts.

The effects of the anti-microtubular agents, colchicine and vinblastine, on the phagocytosis of collagen by fibroblasts were assessed quantitatively in cultured mouse bone explants. It was found that in the absence of the microtubular system the volume density of lysosomal vacuoles containing cross-banded collagen fibrils in periosteal cells did not differ from that seen in controls. In contrast, cytochalasin B which interferes with the microfilament system prevented the accumulation of collagen-containing vacuoles in the cytoplasm. The data indicate that the phagocytosis of collagen fibrils by fibroblasts does not depend on the integrity of the microtubular apparatus, but seems to require an intact microfilament system.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Movement of fibroblasts in the periodontal ligament of the mouse incisor is related to eruption.

Movement of fibroblasts in the periodontal ligament of the lower incisor of the mouse was studied by pulse-labeling with tritiated thymidine and proline. 3H-Thymidine was administered to mark the nuclei of the cells in the proliferative compartment near the basal end of the tooth; 3H-proline gave rise to a narrow band of radioactivity in the dentin, which served as a reference line for measurement of eruption. One or three weeks after injection in each animal, the lower right incisor was prevented from further eruption by being pinned to its alveolar process. The animals were killed 0, 1, or 2 weeks later, and their mandibles processed for LM-radioautography. It was found that in the left incisors, which were not inhibited in their eruption, labeled cells in the tooth-half of the periodontal ligament moved incisally at a rate similar to the eruption rate. In the pinned incisors, no further incisal migration could be established. It is concluded that fibroblast migration in the tooth-half of the ligament is strictly coupled to the eruptive process.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Collagen phagocytosis by fibroblasts in the periodontal ligament of the mouse molar during the initial phase of hypofunction.

This study was undertaken in order to determine whether hypofunction of teeth is associated with changes in collagen phagocytosis by fibroblasts of the periodontal ligament. In mice, the lower right molars were extracted and the animals killed one, two, three, four, or seven days later. The maxillary first molars with their surrounding periodontium were processed for electron microscopy and their periodontal ligament subjected to morphometric analysis. It was observed that, whereas the volume density of extracellular collagen in the ligament of the hypofunctional molars decreased from 50% to 30% during the course of the experiment, the fraction of fibrillar collagen ingested by the cells increased over two-fold. This increase was already manifest very shortly after the onset of the experiment and offers an explanation for the net loss of collagen fibrils from the extracellular space.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Root-analogue versus crown-analogue dentin: a radioautographic and ultrastructural investigation of the mouse incisor.

The present paper reports on differences between the root- and crown-analogue dentin portions of the continuously growing mouse incisor. Conventional light microscopy and radioautography were used to study dentin formation and the uptake of [3H]-proline and [3H]-serine. It was found that, although the dentin apposition rate along the crown-analogue part (covered by enamel) equalled or slightly exceeded that along the root-analogue part (covered by cementum), the processing of predentin into dentin was considerably faster in the root aspect. Comparison of the two dentin portions at the ultrastructural level revealed that differences occurred in the morphology of the secretory granules of the odontoblast layer. Two types of granules were observed: those that were and those that were not loaded with electron-dense particles of 30 nm diameter. While the former type was most frequent along the crown-analogue aspect of the incisor, the latter type was particularly found along its root-analogue aspect. This difference may reflect differences between the two dentin portions in the composition of the noncollagenous matrix.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Resorption of the mouse incisor after the application of cold to the periodontal attachment apparatus.

In order to study in detail the processes leading to the resorption and ankylosis of teeth after trauma, the effects of cold application on the periodontal tissues were studied in the mouse. Liquid nitrogen was applied locally to the outer surface of the lower jaw which resulted in a freezing of the incisor and its surrounding tissues. The healing processes in the damaged periodontal ligament and the accompanying phenomena of ankylosis and dental root resorption were investigated histologically at both the light and electron microscopic levels. As a result of cold application, the cells in the periodontal ligament were killed. After a few days, the ligament started to be repopulated with cells like fibroblasts and macrophages. From 3 days on, mineral crystallites were deposited along the cementum covering the lingual, mesial, and lateral surfaces of the incisor, finally resulting in a 4-6 micron thick layer. During the period of 7-12 days following cold application, this layer of mineralized material started to be phagocytosed and degraded, presumably by mononuclear cells. Finally, extensive root resorption and some ankylosis between the tooth and the alveolar bone were observed. In the resorbed areas, cells were seen which could not be distinguished from osteoclasts. In some instances, their ruffled border was in close apposition with each of the three mineralized tissues--dentin, cementum, and alveolar bone. It is hypothesized that the deposition and subsequent phagocytosis of mineralized material along the root surface may be an important factor in the initiation of dental root resorption.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Effects of 1-hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-bisphosphonate (HEBP) on the formation of dentin and the periodontal attachment apparatus in the mouse.

The effects of the bisphosphonate HEBP on dentin formation and the structural relationship between the dentin and the developing periodontal attachment apparatus have been studied in the continuously growing mouse incisor. It was observed that HEBP (in doses greater than or equal to 8 mg P/kg b.w/day) not only inhibited the deposition of mineral crystallites in newly formed dentin matrix, but also entirely prevented the formation of a layer of acellular root cementum. It was further noticed that the drug interfered with the deposition of 3H-serine-containing substances at the predentin-dentin border. This was not always accompanied by an inhibition of dentin mineralization, thereby suggesting that 3H-serine-containing proteins (presumably phosphoproteins) do not play a critical role in the deposition of mineral layers onto previously formed ones. The absence of a cementum layer did not prevent the developing periodontal ligament from establishing matrix-to-matrix connections with the root-analogue dentin. Collagen fibrils of the ligament intermingled with those of the mantle dentin, which in contrast to teeth not exposed to the drug were clearly visible and not masked by electron-dense matrix components. Finally, it was found that the drug had distinct effects on the formation of root-analogue and crown-analogue dentin. Whereas during the course of the experiment the odontoblasts along the crown-analogue aspect of the tooth continued to produce circumpulpal dentin matrix, those along the root-analogue aspect of the tooth did so only when the mantle dentin layer had been mineralized prior to HEBP administration. This phenomenon is interpreted as being indicative of fundamental differences between the formation of crown and root dentin.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Phagocytosis of bone collagen by osteoclasts in two cases of pycnodysostosis.

Electron microscopic examination of bone biopsies obtained from two patients suffering from pycnodysostosis revealed that osteoclasts contained (sometimes large) cytoplasmic vacuoles filled with bone collagen fibrils. These vacuoles stained positive for acid phosphatase activity, thereby suggesting that bone matrix had been phagocytosed and subsequently exposed to hydrolytic enzymes of the lysosomal apparatus. Collagen-containing vacuoles were not observed in osteoclasts of individuals not suffering from this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The digestion of phagocytosed collagen is inhibited by the proteinase inhibitors leupeptin and E-64.

Using morphometric methods the effects of the thiol-proteinase inhibitors leupeptin and E-64 on the digestion of intracytoplasmic collagen fibrils were studied in cultured mouse bone explants. Both drugs caused a dose-dependent increase of lysosomal structures containing cross-banded collagen fibrils (CCV) in periosteal fibroblasts. After an incubation period of 48 hours, leupeptin (in a concentration of 65 microM) caused a thirty-fold increase in the volume fraction of CCV. This effect proved to be reversible following upon the withdrawal of the drug. Since the leupeptin-related accumulation of intracellular collagen fibrils was not significantly inhibited by alpha, alpha dipyridyl (a drug that interferes with collagen fibril formation), it is thought unlikely that the fibrils represented newly synthesized collagen. This view is further substantiated by data obtained from explants incubated in the presence of the phagocytosis-inhibiting agent cytochalasin B. This compound completely inhibited the leupeptin-related accumulation of CCV. The data strongly suggest that collagen fibrils found in cytoplasmic vacuoles of periosteal fibroblasts represent collagen taken up by phagocytosis, the integrity of cytoplasmic actin filament systems is a prerequisite for phagocytosis of collagen to occur, and thiol-proteinases, such as cathepsin B, L, and/or N, play an essential role in the digestion of internalized collagen.

2,2'-Dipyridyl↗
PubMed1982

Free and polymerized tubulin in cultured bone cells and Chinese hamster ovary cells: the influence of cold and hormones.

Free and polymerized tubulin were measured in bone cells and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells cultured on plastic substrata. Polymerized tubulin was stabilized in a microtubule- stabilizing medium (MSM) containing 50 percent glycerol and separated from free tubulin by centrifugation. Tubulin content was assayed in both fractions by the colchicines- binding assay. The measured degree of polymerization in both bone cells and CHO cells varied with stabilixation conditions. The degree of polymerization in both bone cells and CHO cells varied with stabilization conditions. The degree of polymerization in both bone cells and CHO cells varied with stabilization conditions. The degree of polymerization in attached cells was found to increase up to 73 percent during the first 20 min after addition of the MSM at 24 degrees C, and remained constant thereafter. Stabilization of 0 degrees C resulted in a decrease down to 62 percent in the degree of constant thereafter. Stabilization at 0 degrees C resulted in a decrease down to 62 percent in the degree of polymerization during the first 20 min after addition of the MSM at 24 degrees C, and remained constant thereafter. Confluent bone cells maintained at 0 degrees C for 1 h before stabilization contained significantly less polymerized tubulin than control cells kept at 37 degrees C using stabilization both at 0 degrees C and at 24 degrees C. Changes in bone cell morphology induced by incubation of cells with prostaglandin E(1) or E(2), parthyroid hormone, and dibutyryl cyclic AMP were not associated with a change in the degree of tubulin polymerization. This was confirmed morphologically by immunofluorescence using affinity-purified tubulin antibodies: microtubules in hormone- treated cells were not noticeably reorganized when compared to microtubule organization in control cells. They were, however, squeezed closer together in cellular pseudopods due to the altered cell shape. This altered cell shape appears to be correlated with disorganization of the microfilament system, since microfilaments, detected using affinity-purified actin antibodies, did alter drastically their appearance and distribution after hormone addition.

Alprostadil↗