Surface topography and serum concentration affect the appearance of tenascin in human gingival fibroblasts in vitro

Abstract

Tenascin is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein which affects cell behavior such as cell migration. This study was undertaken to investigate the time of appearance of tenascin (TN) in human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) and how it was affected by the surface topography of the titanium substratum or by serum concentration in the medium. HGF were cultured for 4 to 24 h and then processed for confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. Very few cells stained positive for TN 4 h after plating, but the number of TN-positive HGF gradually increased between 8 and 18 h after plating. The increase in the rate of the proportion of TN-positive cells on the grooved surface lagged behind that of HGF cultured on the smooth surface. The number of TN-positive cells in medium + 15% serum was significantly greater than that of cells in 5% serum or serum-free medium. The number of TN-positive cells was greater on the smooth titanium surface than on the grooved titanium surface in both 15% serum and 5% serum-containing medium. These findings suggest that TN production by fibroblasts in vitro can be modulated by factors in serum and by the surface topography of the substratum.