| Abstract: | In light of previous evidence that epithelial influences are required for membrane bone formation in certain instances (mandible, Tyler and Hall, '77 a,b; cranium, Benoit and Schowing, '70), the possibility that maxillary epithelium influences membrane bone formation within the maxillary mesenchyme was investigated. Intact maxillary processes, and enzymatically separated epithelial and mesenchymal components of the maxilla were obtained from embryonic chicks of three to five days of incubation (Hamburger and Hamilton '51] stages (HH) 18-25) were grown individually as grafts on the chorioallantoic membranes of host chick embryos. The histodifferentiation of grafted intact maxillary processes was similar to that in vivo. The histodifferentiation of grafted maxillary mesenchyme depended upon the embryonic age at which the mesenchyme was isolated from its epithelium. In grafts of maxillary mesenchyme isolated from its epithelium at HH 22 or earlier stages, cartilage differentiated, but membrane bone did not form. In grafts of maxillary mesenchyme isolated from its epithelium at HH 23 or later stages, membrane bone formed in addition to cartilage. The results indicate that maxillary mesenchyme requires the presence of epithelium through HH 22 in order for membrane bone to form within the mesenchyme. Cartilage formation within the mesenchyme does not require epithelial influences during the embryonic period tested (HH 18-25). Maxillary epithelium isolated from its mesenchyme and grown as a graft became underlaid by host fibroblasts and achieved a limited degree of differentiation; the epithelium did not induce ectopic membrane bone formation within the host tissue, indicating that the presence of maxillary epithelium is not a sufficient condition for promoting membrane bone formation in normally non-osteogenic tissue. |
