Effect of loss of incisal function on the growth activities and ultrastructure of the condylar cartilage in the rat

Bae, Yong Chul; Park, Mae Ja; Joo, Kang; Kyung, Hee Moon; Sung, Jae Hyun

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of loss of incisal function on the thickness, growth activities, ultrastructure of the condylar cartilage and on the muscle fibers of masseter superficialis, anterior belly of digastric muscle in the growing rats. 37 day-old-rats of which incisors had been trimmed every day received soft diet from weaning and were studied by the autoradiography, electron microscopy and muscle histochemistry. The results obtained were as follows: The thickness of the fibrous, proliferative layer in superior, posterosuperior portion of the condylar cartilage was significantly(p<0.01) reduced in experimental groups and the decrease rate of fibrous layer thickness was greater in posterosuperior portion than in superior portion of cartilage and was greater than in proliferative layer. In normal group, more cells of posterosuperior portion moved more rapidly towards the medullary cavity. In experimental group, the labelling index of posterosuperior portion was decreased in proliferative layer at 2 hours, in transitional layer at 1, 2 days, in hypertrophic layer at 4 days after injection relative to posterosuperior portion of control group. But labelling index of superior portion was not different from that of control group at all time course after injection. From the muscle histochemistry, the diameter of type IIB fibers in masseter superficialis muscle, type IIA, type IIB fibers in anterior belly of digastric muscle decreased significantly(p<0.01) relative to controls in experimental group. From electron microscopic study, in the fibrous layer of the posterosuperior portion of condylar cartilage in normal group, many fibroblast like cells near the joint cavity showed extensive remodelling activities in ultrastructure. There was no morphological changes between experimental and control group in all cartilage cell layers of superior portion but cells near the joint cavity in fibrous layer of posterosuperior portion of experimental group showed morphologically inactive state relative to control group.