The role of IFT140 in early bone healing of tooth extraction sockets

Objectives Primary cilium is a key organelle of regulating bone development and maintenance. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ciliary intraflagellar transporter protein 140 (IFT140) plays a positive role in extraction socket healing by promoting bone formation. Materials and Methods A left maxillary first molar extraction model was established using 6-week-old Ift140(flox/flox) (Ctrl group) and Ift140(flox/flox), Osx-cre (cKO group) mice. The maxillary bone samples from 1, 2, and 3 weeks were postoperatively evaluated by micro-CT, molecular biology, and histomorphometry analysis. Alveolar bone marrow stromal cells (aBMSCs) from 4-week-old mice were cultured in vitro and tested for proliferation and osteogenic ability. Results Ciliated cells were predominantly observed in the early socket healing stage with highly expressed ciliary protein IFT140. Compared with the Ctrl group, the healing of extraction sockets in the cKO group was significantly delayed. The proliferation and osteogenic differentiation ability of aBMSCs were reduced in the cKO group. Conclusion IFT140 has a facilitating role in the early osteogenesis of extraction socket healing and is involved in regulating the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of aBMSCs.