Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) diseases predominantly afflict women, suggesting a role of estrogen in the disease etiology. Previously, we determined that decreased occlusal loading (DOL) inhibited collagen type II (Col2) expression in the mandibular condylar cartilage (MCC) of female wild-type (WT) mice whereas no change was observed in males.
Estrogen Receptor beta mediates decreased occlusal loading induced inhibition of chondrocyte maturation in female mice
Objective Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders predominantly afflict women, suggesting that estrogen may play a role in the disease process. Defects in mechanical loading-induced TMJ remodeling are believed to be a major etiological factor in TMJ degenerative disease. Previously, we found that, decreased occlusal loading caused a significant decrease in early chondrocyte maturation markers (Sox9 and Col 2) in female, but not male, C57BL/6 wild type mice (1). The goal of this study was to examine the role of Estrogen Receptor (ER) beta in mediating these effects.