Amelogenin Nanospheres Modulate Crystal Habit of Octacalcium Phosphate and Hydroxyapatite Crystals in In Vitro Model Systems

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper is a short review of recent studies, which were undertaken to investigate interactions of amelogenin with octacalcium phosphate (OCP), and apatite. OCP crystals were grown using two independent experimental systems; (a) in a 10% gelatin gel, containing 0-2% amelogenin, where the crystals were formed in a double-diffusion chamber, and (b) in a 10% pure amelogenin gel, where crystal growth took place in between a cation-selective and a dialysis membrane. Apatite crystals were grown from a supersaturated calcifying solution on a bioactive glass in the absence (SCSB) and the presence of amelogenin (SCSrM179). It was found that OCP crystals formed in 10% gelatin gel containing 1-2% amelogenin were longer (3-5 times larger in aspect ratio) than the OCP crystals formed in 10% gelatin without amelogenin. A profound effect was that found in the cation selective membrane system when 10% amelogenin inhibited the growth morphology in a specific manner. Affected crystals had a length to width ratio twice larger than that of control crystals while the width to thickness ratio was about 1/12 of that of the control crystals. Amelogenin promoted the formation of bundles of lengthwise apatite crystals, which were all oriented parallel to their c axes when grown on SCSrM179. It was found that individual apatite crystals within those bundles adopted an elongated, curved shape. The data presented here suggest that amelogenin nanospheres modulate the growth morphology of apatite and OCP crystals and indicate significant functional roles for amelogenin proteins during the in vivo oriented growth of enamel crystallites.