The role of autophagy in periodontal overload during orthodontic tooth movement

• Applicant: Privatdozentin Dr. Svenja Beisel-Memmert
• Subject Area: Dentistry, Oral Surgery
• Term: from 2016 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 318542799

Orthodontic tooth movement aims at movement without harming the involved structures. A key issue is the applied force. When periodontal ligament (PDL) cells, which play an important role in the biology of the periodontium, are overloaded cell damage results, which may slow down tooth movement. During orthodontic tooth movement local hypoxia is induced in the periodontium due to compression of tissue and blood vessels. The applied force and the hypoxic conditions play an important part in the development of an inflammatory response. These interactions lead to osteoclastogenesis and recruitment as well as osteoblast differentiation, which are essential for remodeling and tooth movement.Autophagy is a cellular mechanism of adaptation to various stress conditions. On the one hand autophagy can secure cell survival, on the other hand it can lead to cell death, depending on extent and duration of the applied stimuli. Therefore, we hypothesize that autophagy might play a role in orthodontic tooth movement, but also in induction of cell death as a reaction to overload of human PDL cells. We further suspect that autophagy influences cell-cell communication and cytokine expression of PDL cells. We expect that modulation of autophagy can induce a protective effect on PDL cells and influence their interactions with surrounding tissues.This study aims at investigation of signal transduction leading to autophagy after mechanical and hypoxic stimulation. Furthermore, the effects of autophagy on important cellular functions are to be analyzed. An animal experiment is planned to complement the in-vitro study. Our results will contribute to a better understanding of cell biological mechanisms of tooth movement and help to individualize orthodontic tooth movement and optimize treatment time.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. James Deschner; Professor Dr. Andreas Jäger