This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Lancero, H. Articles by Johnson, P.W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lancero, H. Articles by Johnson, P.W. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Hazardous Substances DB METHYL MERCAPTAN Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Exposure of Periodontal Ligament Cells to Methyl Mercaptan Reduces Intracellular pH and Inhibits Cell Migration

The Department of Stomatology, Division of Periodontology, C-628, Faculty of Dentistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143

J. Niu

The Department of Stomatology, Division of Periodontology, C-628, Faculty of Dentistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143

P.W. Johnson

The Department of Stomatology, Division of Periodontology, C-628, Faculty of Dentistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143

Volatile sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan have been associated with adult periodontitis as well as with healing surgical wounds. To examine the effects of these compounds on the periodontium, we assayed periodontal ligament (PDL) cells for changes in intracellular pH, total protein, and cell migration following chronic exposure to CH3SH. Intracellular pH was quantitated by fluorescence measurements of cells loaded with BCECF, a pH-sensitive dye. Data show that 48-hour exposure to mercaptan lowered resting intracellular pH but did not consistently alter activity of the Na/H exchanger. This effect was seen in PDL cells from three different patients. Lowered pH was accompanied by decreases in both total protein and mature 1 and 2 chains of type I collagen. Since reductions in intracellular pH and total protein have been associated with inhibition of cell motility, migration was quantitated by sequential computer imaging, which measured the increase in size of plated cell circles at different times of migration. Incubation of PDL cells in pH 7.4 and 6.6 buffers reversibly altered intracellular pH. Migration was reversibly inhibited in pH 6.8 buffer. Exposure to CH3SH reduced intracellular pH in pH 7.4 buffer and in three independent assays inhibited enlargement of cell circles in pH 7.4 medium. These effects were therefore not related to alterations of extracellular pH, which remained at 7.4. The results support the hypothesis that gases such as methyl mercaptan may play a role in both surgical wound healing and periodontal disease by adversely affecting cell function and suggest that alterations in intracellular pH may be part of the mechanism for these changes.

Key Words: methyl mercaptan, • intracellular pH • periodontal ligament cells • cell migration

Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 75, No. 12, 1994-2002 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/00220345960750121201


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Tokoro, T. Asai, S. Kobayashi, T. Takeuchi, and T. Nozaki Identification and Characterization of Two Isoenzymes of Methionine {gamma}-Lyase from Entamoeba histolytica: A KEY ENZYME OF SULFUR-AMINO ACID DEGRADATION IN AN ANAEROBIC PARASITIC PROTIST THAT LACKS FORWARD AND REVERSE TRANS-SULFURATION PATHWAYS J. Biol. Chem., October 24, 2003; 278(43): 42717 - 42727. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Yoshimura, Y. Nakano, Y. Yamashita, T. Oho, T. Saito, and T. Koga Formation of Methyl Mercaptan from L-Methionine by Porphyromonas gingivalis Infect. Immun., December 1, 2000; 68(12): 6912 - 6916. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A Lagana, J Vadnais, P. Le, T. Nguyen, R Laprade, I. Nabi, and J Noel Regulation of the formation of tumor cell pseudopodia by the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger NHE1 J. Cell Sci., January 10, 2000; 113(20): 3649 - 3662. [Abstract] [PDF]