Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate in vitro the impact of bioengineered plant-derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I’s (RG-I) nanocoatings on osteogenic capacity and pro-inflammatory cytokine response of murine osteoblasts following Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) infection.Bioengineered RG-I’s from pectins are potential candidates for surface nanocoating of medical devices due to their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Methods: Murine osteoblast-like cells (MC3T3-E1) and isolated primary calvarial osteoblast from C57BL/6J (B6J osteoblasts) mice were infected with P. gingivalis and incubated on polystyrene tissue culture plates with or without nanocoatings of unmodified isolated RG-I's from potato pulps (PU) or dearabinanated RG-I's (PA). Cell proliferation, metabolic activity, mineralization and osteogenic and pro-inflammatory gene expression were examined at different time points and repeated six times each (n = 6). Results: Following P. gingivalis infection, MC3T3-E1 and B6J osteoblasts cell proliferation after 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours was significantly higher when cultured on PA but not PU coating as compared to cells cultured on control surface without nanocoating. Cell metabolic activity after 3, 7, 14 and 21 days was significantly enhanced in MC3T3-E1 and B6J osteoblasts cultures on surface coated with PA compared to control; on surface coated with PU in MC3T3 culture. Moreover, P. gingivalis infected MC3T3-E1 and B6J cells formed after 3, 7, 14 and 21 days significantly higher amount of calcium deposits on PA but not PU coating as compared to cells cultured on control surface. Finally, Il-1, Il-6, TNF-alpha and Rankl gene expression were down-regulated after 3, 7, 14 and 21 days in cells cultured on PU and to a higher extent on PA as compared to the corresponding control whereas Runx, Alpl, Col1a1, Bglap were up-regulated vice versa. Conclusion: Our data clearly show that pectin RG-I's nanocoating with high content of galactan (PA) reduces the osteoblastic response to P. gingivalis infection in vitro and may therefore reduce a risk of inflammation especially in immunocompromised patients with rheumatoid or periodontal disorders.

Laboratory tests have limited value for assessing the safety and effectiveness of new therapies in people. Tests must also be conducted on animals that resemble humans, both biologically and developmentally. We generally acknowledge that certain animals may be caught and sold, kept in captivity, or eaten, but using animals to meet human needs is as an area of huge controversy. This chapter gives a broad perspective on the ethical basis for animal experiments, drawing from the modern “common sense” view and several longstanding philosophical theories. Moral status is considered, alongside integrity, autonomy and dignity of animals, and their ability to reason, to form memories, and to experience pleasure or pain. Smaller animals, such as mice, rats and rabbits are essential for proving a basic principle or concept. Larger animals, such as goats, pigs, sheep, dogs and monkeys, are used more sparingly, not least because of the costs involved in their care; they are necessary because of their greater similarity to humans and thus are more relevant to advancing clinical practice. However, conflicts of interest tend to be larger with animals that are more similar to humans. Primate and dogs tend to evoke our compassion more strongly than rodents or animals we commonly eat. The authors provoke thought on this subject through examples in which the interests of humans are weighed up with those of animals in studies of cosmetics, childhood leukemia and dental defects.

Gliederung: - Topographische Anatomie des Gaumens - Positionsbestimmung des Gaumenimplantats - Chirurgische Insertion des Gaumenimplantates - Chirurgische Insertion von Kortikalisschrauben - Beispiele kieferorthopädischer Apparaturen. Materialliste: Gaumenimplantat der Fa. Straumann (Straumann Orthosystem, palatal implant) und eine Schraube aus dem Aarhus System der Fa. Medicon.