Role of mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1 in tension-side orthodontic alveolar bone remodeling in rats

Objective: Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is based on alveolar bone remodeling under mechanical force. In 2010, Piezo1 was identified as a mechanosensitive ion channel that is involved in various physiological functions. We aimed to determine the role of Piezo1 in alveolar bone remodeling during OTM.

Design: Twenty-five six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were selected to establish OTM models and sacrificed in groups of five on days 0, 1, 3, 7, and 14. Stereomicroscopy measurements, hematoxylin and eosin staining, tartrate-resistant Acid Phosphatase staining, and immunohistochemical staining were performed to examine the tooth movement distance, periodontal tissue morphology, and number of multinucleated osteoclasts, and explore the levels of Piezo1, bone-related factors, and Wnt/CA²⁺ signaling pathway at different time points in tension-side periodontal tissues during OTM. Furthermore, we injected equivalent grammostola mechanotoxin 4 (GsMTx4; GsMTx4 group, 25 rats) or saline (control group, 25 rats) to OTM rats and recorded the aforementioned measurement indices.

Results: Piezo1, bone-related factors and Wnt/CA²⁺ signaling pathway levels were elevated on the tension side by orthodontic force in the OTM model. GsMTX4 administration downregulated the aforementioned factors and reduced the tooth movement rate.

Conclusions: Piezo1 is essential for alveolar bone remodeling during OTM. The Wnt/CA²⁺ signaling pathway might participate in Piezo1-mediated bone remodeling.