Osteopontin, osteocalcin, and osteoprotegerin expression in human tissue affected by cleft lip and palate

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a common congenital anomaly with a complex etiology which has not been elucidated yet. This study investigated whether expression of osteopontin (OPN), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and osteocalcin (OC), which are essential for the normal craniofacial bone remodelling, is not regulated in children with CLP. Alveolar bone tissue samples were obtained from patients with complete bilateral (CB) CLP (n = 14) during corrective plastic surgery and unaffected control subjects (n = 9). OPN, OPG, and OC expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and data were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney test. OPN expression was observed only sporadically in the alveolar bone of 3 patients, in contrast to the control group (z = −2.962; P