Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor–2 Expression in the Pulp of Human Primary and Young Permanent Teeth

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor–2 (VEGFR-2) in endothelial cells within the dental pulp of human primary and young permanent teeth and the spatial distribution of VEGFR-2–positive cells. Nine sound primary teeth and 4 sound young permanent teeth were evaluated by immunohistochemistry with a human anti–VEGFR-2 antibody. Stained tissue sections were analyzed qualitatively under light microscopy. Here we observed that endothelial cells of both primary and permanent teeth showed positive immunostaining for VEGFR-2. Notably, VEGFR-2–positive cells in the primary teeth tended to be found close to the subodontoblastic layer, whereas the spatial distribution of VEGFR-2 immunostaining in the permanent teeth was more uniform. In conclusion, VEGFR-2 was expressed in the microvascular endothelial cells of both primary and young permanent teeth, which suggests that these cells are capable of responding to the morphogenetic and survival signals mediated by VEGF.