Published on September 14, 2009 at 7:44 AM
Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CYTX) reported results from their preclinical study on the use of uncultured adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) in the treatment of critical periodontal defects in a rat model. The results suggest that the use of ADRCs may reverse the effects of periodontal disease, evidenced by significantly improved alveolar bone healing and decreased gingival (gum) invasion of the defect. The data were reported today at the 95th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Periodontology in Boston.
Severe periodontal disease (periodontitis) affects over 25% of the population in the U.S. alone. It is a painful condition that results in the decay of the bone and connective tissue that surround teeth that can ultimately lead to tooth loss. Currently, there is no generally accepted treatment with reliable results. These new study findings by Cytori may lead to new therapeutic treatments using ADRCs to treat and potentially reverse the effects of severe periodontitis.
As part of the study design, 20 immuno-deficient rats were treated for four critical defects in each. One of the defects was treated with uncultured human ADRCs and a second with cultured human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC’s), both in Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). A third was treated with PRP alone and a fourth with no treatment.
The study’s results showed that at six weeks post-treatment the defects treated with the uncultured ADRCs and with the cultured ADSCs showed a statistically significant (p<0.001) improvement in healing of the alveolar bone compared to the two controls. Furthermore, uncultured ADRC and cultured ADSC treatment significantly decreased the gingival invasion of the defect when compared to no treatment (p<0.001) and PRP alone (p<0.05).
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