Effects of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors on bone resorption and orthodontic tooth movement.

Matrix metalloproteinases are involved in the regulation of bone remodeling. The hypothesis that matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors may be useful for experimentally limiting orthodontic tooth movement, a process involving perturbations of normal bone remodeling, was tested. General matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors limited the resorption of bone slices by mouse marrow cultures stimulated by calcitriol, parathyroid hormone, and basic-fibroblast growth factor.

Effects of echistatin and an RGD peptide on orthodontic tooth movement.

We tested whether orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) could be blocked by local administration of echistatin or an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide, agents known to perturb bone remodeling, adjacent to maxillary molars in rats. These molecules were incorporated into ethylene-vinyl acetate (ELVAX), a non-biodegradable, sustained-release polymer. In vitro experiments showed that the echistatin and RGD peptide were released from ELVAX in active forms at levels sufficient to disrupt osteoclasts.