New research opens hopes of developing teething drugs

After all the teeth turn into permanent teeth, we lose the innocence of our childhood and face the harsh truth: broken teeth will never grow again.

However, the new study by scientists at Kyoto University and Fukui University has given some hope to us as adults. According to a new scientific report published in the Science Advances, the team used antibodies of the gene USAG-1 (a gene related to sensitivity of the uterus) to successfully stimulate teething in mice. congenital tooth deficiency.

The adult mouth will have 32 teeth, but still 1% of the population does not have enough teeth due to the effects of congenital diseases, while there are those who carry the number of teeth exceeding 32. Households Science has been studying the genes of excessively toothed individuals to find out why, and based on that to find ways to regenerate teeth for adults.

According to Mr. Katsu Takahashi, one of the senior research authors and lecturers at Kyoto University, they have discovered a key factor in tooth development.

“The ability of each person to develop teeth depends on the interactions of many molecules, including BMP, which stands for bone growth protein, and the wtn signal is transmitted from the protein to the cell.“, Mr. Takahashi said.

BMP and Wnt are involved in more bodily processes than teething. They regulate the rate of growth of many organs and tissues before the fetus is the size of a raisin. Doctors avoid prescribing drugs that directly affect BMP and Wnt, as they can have a negative effect on the whole body.

Guessing that focusing on factors that influence BMP and Wnt, especially on tooth development, could be a safer pathway, the team considered the application of the USAG- first.

“We know that inhibiting USAG-1 is beneficial for teething. But we don’t know if that’s enough“, Mr. Takahashi added.

So the team looked at the effects of the USAG-1-related unicellular antibody. Protozoan antibodies are commonly used in cancer treatment, arthritis, and vaccine development.

In mouse trials, USAG-1 interacted with both BMP and Wnt, severely affecting both the offspring and the rat’s ability to survive postpartum, reaffirming the importance of both BMP and Wnt to growth process of the body. However, the presence of a potential antibody can disrupt the interaction between USAG-1 and BMP.

Tests with this antibody showed that BMP transmits a signal that determines the number of teeth in the mouse. Moreover, just one interaction is required for the body to produce one tooth. Trials on ferrets have shown similarly positive results. The next step, the team will test new antibodies in dogs and pigs.

This is the first experiment to show the effect of unicellular antibodies on the formation of teeth, opening the door to help people without teeth can be “whole” without the need for artificial teeth or other ways to fill the jaw. .