IntroductionEpidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) play an important role in extracellular matrix mineralization, a complex process required for proper bone regeneration, one of the biggest challenges in dentistry. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic potential of EGF and bFGF on dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs).Material and methodsHuman DPSCs were isolated using CD105 magnetic microbeads and characterized by flow cytometry. To induce osteoblast differentiation, the cells were cultured in osteogenic medium supplemented with EGF or bFGF at a low concentration. Cell morphology and expression of CD146 and CD10 surface markers were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy. To measure mineralization, an alizarin red S assay was performed and typical markers of osteoblastic phenotype were evaluated by RT-PCR.ResultsEGF treatment induced morphological changes and suppression of CD146 and CD10 markers. Additionally, the cells were capable of producing calcium deposits and increasing the mRNA expression to alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OCN) in relation to control groups (p < 0.001). However, bFGF treatment showed an inhibitory effect.ConclusionThese data suggests that DPSCs in combination with EGF could be an effective stem cell-based therapy for bone tissue engineering applications in periodontics and oral implantology.
The objective of this work was to determine the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) supplemented with bismuth lipophilic nanoparticles (BisBAL NPs). The antimicrobial activity of the composite MTA-BisBAL NPs was determined by the disk diffusion assay, while antibiofilm activity was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. The cytotoxicity of MTA-BisBAL NPs was determined on human gingival fibroblasts by optical microscopy and crystal violet staining. MTA-BisBAL NPs inhibited the growth of Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans and also detached the biofilm of fluorescent E. faecalis after 24 h of treatment. The addition of BisBAL nanoparticles did not significantly modify the physical properties of MTA, and cytotoxicity was not observed when MTA-BisBAL NPs was added on human gingival fibroblasts. Altogether these results suggest that BisBAL nanoparticles provide antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities to MTA while it retained their biophysical properties without cause side effects on human gingival fibroblasts.
This study evaluated the potential antimicrobial properties of a polyguanidine (CatDex) on two oral bacteria. Chlorhexidine gluconate 1340 μmoL L−1 (CHX 0.12%) was used as control. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) were grown in BHI media. Bacterial sensitivity and antimicrobial activity were determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Kirby-Bauer methods. To study side effects, that is, toxicity, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were used. Fluorometric cytotoxicity and confocal microscopy assays were used in order to test cell viability. CatDex inhibited growth of S. mutans at all concentrations and growth of P. gingivalis at all concentrations except 25 μmoL L−1. The MIC of CatDex was 50 μmoL L−1 for both S. mutans and P. gingivalis. The inhibition of bacteria exposed for 8 h at 50 μmoL L−1 of CatDex exhibited increased antimicrobial activity over time, with 91% inhibition in both bacteria. The antimicrobial activities of CatDex and CHX were similar when tested on two common bacteria. CatDex was significantly less toxic to DPSCs. CatDex toxicity depended on time and not on concentration. With regard to clinical relevance, CatDex may have potential as a novel antimicrobial agent. Further studies are in progress.
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