Distribution of actin in burred rat dental pulps

Objective: To investigate the different distribution of actin in healthy and burred rat dental pulp.Method: Model of rat tooth injury was established to examine actin in the healthy pulp and the pulps from 2 hours to 14 days after burred by immunohistochemical technique.Result: In the healthy pulp, positive staining was localized in odontoblasts and vessel endothelia. 2h after injury, the odontoblasts near the exposure point turned negative while the vessel endothelia and their nearby cells were strongly labelled. Such strongly immunoreactive vessels always occurred in the area where pulpitis first attacked in the 8h～5d groups.Conclusion: Actin could play an important role in sustaining the odontoblasts in their specific lining style and physical function, and its up-regulation in vessels might have something to do with the early restoration of pulp after injury. [