Aim To investigate the possible therapeutic effects of alpha‐lipoic acid (ALA) in a model of chronic apical periodontitis in rats by analysing biochemical, histopathological and micro‐CT parameters. Methodology The study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Near East University. Thirty‐two Wistar rats were divided into four groups of eight rats each: Control Group; ALA Group; AP Group; AP + ALA Group. In the AP and AP + ALA groups, the pulp chambers of the mandibular first molars were surgically exposed and were left open to the oral environment for 4‐weeks to allow the establishment of periapical lesions. The rats in the Control and AP groups were treated intraperitoneally with saline solution (with a daily dose of 100 mg kg−1, for 28 days after periapical lesion induction). The rats in the ALA and AP + ALA groups were treated intraperitoneally with ALA (with a daily dose of 100 mg kg−1, for 28 days after periapical lesion induction). After decapitation, the trunk blood was collected for the assessment of biochemical parameters. The mandibles were surgically removed and dissected for histopathologic analysis and further scanned with micro‐CT. Groups of data were compared with a two‐way analysis of variance (two‐way anova) followed by Sidak's multiple comparison tests. Values of P < 0.05 were regarded as significant. Results TNF‐α, IL‐1β, MMP‐1, MMP‐2 levels were significantly lower in AP + ALA group compared with AP group (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference between the AP and AP + ALA groups according to assessment of the inflammatory scores (P < 0.05). The periapical inflammatory infiltrates were significantly more severe (P < 0.05) in the AP group. The AP + ALA group exhibited lower values both in terms of surface area and volume of resorption cavities than the AP group and this difference was significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion alpha‐lipoic acid treatment provided therapeutic effects on the inhibition of periapical bone loss.

This study was designed to assess the possible protective effect of alpha‐lipoic acid (ALA) on apical periodontitis (AP)‐induced cardiac injury. Wistar albino rats were randomized into four groups: control; ALA; AP; and ALA + AP. Rats of the control and ALA groups were not endodontically treated, but saline and ALA (100 mg kg−1) were administered. In rats of the AP and ALA + AP groups, the pulp chambers of mandibular first molar teeth were exposed and left open for 30 d to induce AP. Saline and ALA (100 mg kg−1) were administered intraperitoneally every 24 h during the experiment. At the end of the experiment, the rats were killed. Establishment of AP was verified by radiographic and histopathological evaluation. Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were determined using an automated biochemical analyzer, and the structural cardiac injury was assessed pathologically. Serum ALP, LDH, and CK activities were elevated, and SOD activities were decreased, in the AP group. The changed enzyme activities were significantly normalized by treatment with ALA. We conclude that ALA administration alleviated the AP‐induced heart injury and improved cardiac structure and function, and therefore this agent may be of potential therapeutic value in protecting cardiac tissue from systemic injury caused by AP.

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Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible therapeutic impacts of two pineal hormones, melatonin and 5-methoxytryptophol (5-MTX), in a rat model of acute pulpitis by analyzing biochemical and histopathological parameters. Methods. This research was done using 32 male and female Wistar albino rats with weight between 200 and 250 g. The rats were randomly divided into four groups: a control group (rats without any treatment), acute pulpitis (AP) group, AP+melatonin group, and AP+5-MTX group. In the AP-induced groups, the crowns of the upper left incisors were removed horizontally. Lipopolysaccharide solution was applied to the exposed pulp tissue before the canal orifices were sealed with a temporary filling material. Melatonin (10 mg/kg) and 5-MTX (5 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally. The rats were sacrificed 24 hours after pulp injury, and trunk blood and pulp samples were collected. The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, MMP-1, and MMP-2 in sera and pulp samples were determined using ELISA assay kits. Results. TNF-α, IL-1β, MMP-1, and MMP-2 levels in the serum and pulp tissues were considerably higher in the AP group than the control group ( p < 0.01 ‐ 0.001 ). In the AP+melatonin and AP+5-MTX groups, TNF-α, IL-1β, MMP-1, and MMP-2 levels in the serum and pulp tissues were significantly lower than in the AP group ( p < 0.05 ‐ 0.001 ). Conclusions. Both melatonin and 5-MTX provided protective effects on acute pulpitis, which indicates they may be promising as a therapeutic strategy for oral disease.

Stem cells have self-renewal capacity and an ability to differentiate into particular cell types generating mature cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a significant role in tissue homeostasis, which leads into tissue regeneration. MSCs are rare pluripotent cells supporting hematopoietic and mesenchymal cell lineages. MSCs are also believed to have therapeutic power over temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders (TMDs). The most common type of TMD is articular disc displacement, which induces progressive degenerative changes. These changes lead to rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. In this review, use of human mesenchymal cells (hMSCs) for therapeutic treatment of inflammatory diseases of TMJ is discussed.