Effects of vascular endothelial growth factor on osteoclast induction during tooth movement in mice

For orthodontic tooth movement, remodeling of the alveolar bone is maintained by a repeated process of bone resorption and new bone formation, controlled, respectively, by osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Recently, we have found that recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF) acts as a macrophage colony-stimulating factor in osteoclast induction in osteopetrotic (op/op) mice. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether rhVEGF stimulates osteoclast differentiation during experimental tooth movement. Purified rhVEGF was injected once into the buccal gingival groove around the incisors. An experimental appliance with a helical loop was bonded onto the upper incisors, and an initial force of 1.0 g was applied for three days. The number of osteoclasts appearing in the periodontal ligament space on the pressure side of the alveolar bone was increased markedly. These results suggest that local administration of rhVEGF enhances the number of osteoclasts, and may increase the rate of orthodontic tooth movement. Abbreviations: recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), osteopetrotic mice (op/op mice), fins-like tyrosine kinase (Flt-1), periodontal ligament (PDL), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and analysis of variance (ANOVA).