Gingival Structure, Function, and the Latest Research

The gingiva (or gums) is the tissue that surrounds and protects the teeth and underlying bone. The gingiva is attached to the tooth, forming a seal that protects the underlying bone and helps provide a barrier against infection. Good oral hygiene keeps this seal intact, while bad oral hygiene can result in damage to the gingiva, leading to gingivitis. Bad oral hygiene leads to the buildup of bacterial plaques, which cause inflammation and onset of gingivitis. If left untreated, gingivitis can lead to periodontitis, a condition where the seal between the gingiva and the tooth becomes loose, which may lead to infection and tooth breakdown.

The gingiva is composed of an outer epithelium and an inner network of connective tissue. This outer epithelial layer is keratinized, forming a protective layer around the tooth. Contained within the inner gingival connective tissue are gingival fibroblasts, which play a crucial role in tissue repair and the inflammatory response.

• Gingival fibroblasts are of particular interest due to their ability to differentiate into multiple cell types and generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Moreover, given their multipotent potential, gingival fibroblasts are often investigated as players in periodontal regeneration.

New! Lifeline® Gingival Cells for Your Research Needs

Lifeline® now offers gingival cells for your research needs. Now, researchers can purchase ready to use, cryopreserved Oral Keratinocytes (from Gingiva), isolated from healthy human gingival tissue. These cells, when grown in our DermaLife K medium provide an excellent cell culture system for studying gingival health, normal epithelial function, and oral bacterial pathogenesis.

In fact, researchers have had success using our DermaLife K Keratinocyte Medium for growing oral gingival keratinocytes (from Gingiva) for many years. For instance, Moffatt et al. (2011) demonstrated that basal epithelial cells could be isolated from human gingival tissue and cultured in Lifeline® DermaLife K Medium. They used these cells to investigate the pathogenesis of the bacteria Filifactor alocis and found that F. alocis was capable of inducing oral tissue damage.

Lifeline® is also offering human Gingival Fibroblasts, which can be cultured in FibroLife Fibroblast Medium. These cells are a great model system for studying differentiation, iPSCs, and oral regenerative medicine.

As always, please let us know how you are using our products in your research! We are eager to learn how you are using our new gingival cells!