Cytotoxicity and Biomineralization Potential of Flavonoids Incorporated into PNVCL Hydrogels.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of flavonoids incorporated into poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL) hydrogel on cell viability and mineralization markers of odontoblast-like cells. MDPC-23 cells were exposed to ampelopsin (AMP), isoquercitrin (ISO), rutin (RUT) and control calcium hydroxide (CH) for evaluation of cell viability, total protein (TP) production, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralized nodule deposition by colorimetric assays. Based on an initial screening, AMP and CH were loaded into PNVCL hydrogels and had their cytotoxicity and effect on mineralization markers determined. Cell viability was above 70% when MDPC-23 cells were treated with AMP, ISO and RUT. AMP showed the highest ALP activity and mineralized nodule deposition. Extracts of PNVCL+AMP and PNVCL+CH in culture medium (at the dilutions of 1/16 and 1/32) did not affect cell viability and stimulated ALP activity and mineralized nodules' deposition, which were statistically higher than the control in osteogenic medium. In conclusion, AMP and AMP-loaded PNVCL hydrogels were cytocompatible and able to induce bio-mineralization markers in odontoblast-cells.

Dose- and time-dependent effects of taxifolin on viability and mineralization markers of osteoblast-like cells.

The current study evaluated the effects of taxifolin treatments on the viability of osteoblast-like cells, and on the expression of early mineralization markers, as part of the ongoing search for new endodontic materials able to induce periapical healing without causing cytotoxicity. Saos-2 osteoblast-like cells were exposed to different concentrations of taxifolin (5 and 10 µM), applied as pretreatments either for 24h and 72h, or continuously throughout the experimental protocol. Cell viability using the methylthiazole tetrazolium (MTT) assay, alkaline phosphatase activity using thymolphthalein monophosphate assays, deposition of mineralized nodules using alizarin red staining, and expression of ALP and COL-1 by qPCR were determined after 6 and 13 days of treatment. The data were analyzed statistically (p<0.05). Taxifolin was not cytotoxic in the concentrations tested. Pretreatments with taxifolin for 24h and 72h at 10 µM stimulated ALP activity, and increased mineralized nodule deposition by Saos-2 cells. Continuous treatment with taxifolin was not effective in stimulating ALP activity and mineralization. ALP and COL-1 gene expression increased with taxifolin pretreatments, since the highest mRNA levels were observed after 72h of pretreatment with taxifolin at 10 µM on day 13. In conclusion, taxifolin was cytocompatible, and induced mineralization markers when applied for short periods in osteoblast-like cell culture.

Antibiofilm and cytotoxic effect of 3,3'-dihydroxycurcumin (DHC) as photosensitizer agent in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy for endodontic purposes.

BACKGROUND: Curcuminoids have been designed not only to improve chemical and metabolic stability of curcumin (CUR), but also to increase its antimicrobial activity, without effecting its ability as photosensitizer agent in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) with light emitting diode (LED). This study evaluated the antimicrobial and antibiofilm action of curcumin analog DHC (or 3,3'-dihydroxycurcumin), submitted or not to LED irradiation, on microorganisms of endodontic importance and its influence on fibroblasts viability. METHODS: DHC was synthetized by modified Pablon's methodology and the experiments were conducted under irradiation or not with indium gallium nitride-based LED (440-480nm, 100 mW/cm2, 0.78 cm2,60 s). The antimicrobial activity of CUR and DHC were determined by the Minimum Inhibitory and Bactericidal Concentration assays against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and the effect of both compounds on fibroblast viability was tested using colorimetric assays. They were also evaluated on 72h and 7days single-species biofilms and on 14 days multispecies biofilms formed inside dentin tubules by bacterial colonies counts and confocal microscopy, respectively. Data were analyzed statistically considering p<0.05. RESULTS: DHC had bactericidal effect against all bacteria tested higher than CUR, in planktonic conditions. CUR and DHC (at 39 and 19 µg/mL, respectively) were cytocompatible and LED irradiation reduced fibroblast viability, regardless of compound. CUR and DHC reduced the growth of single-species biofilms and the effect of aPDT was bacteria dependent. DHC reduced more than 70% of microorganisms from multispecies biofilms, superior to CUR effect. CONCLUSIONS: DHC showed low cytotoxicity and antibiofilm effect similar to curcumin, when submitted or not to aPDT, and could be further explored as a bioactive compound for endodontic purposes.

Citotoxicidade e efeito indutor de mineralização de flavonoides sobre células osteoblásticas / Cytotoxicity and inducing effect of mineralization of flavonoids on osteoblastic cells

A perda óssea dentária e a formação de lesões periapicais surgem como uma consequênc ia do desequilíbrio da homeostase óssea. Os osteoblastos, juntamente com os osteoclastos e osteócitos, atuam na formação e na reabsorção óssea. Vários marcadores de formação óssea são produzidos por osteoblastos ativos e refletem diferentes aspectos da dif erenciação osteoblástica e da remodelação óssea. Com isso, muitos autores têm explorado o uso de fitoterápicos, visando obter novos compostos que apresentem propriedades terapêuticas, como os flavonoides, e que estimulem a neoformação óssea e o reparo da r egião periapical. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar in vitro a citotoxicidade e efeito indutor de mineralização de flavonoides sobre células osteoblásticas humanas. Para isso, células osteoblásticas da linhagem Saos expostas aos seguintes flavono2 foram ides: quercetina, miricetina e seus derivados taxifolina, isoquercitrina, rutina, ampelopsina e EGCG, além de pinocembrina, crisina e canferol, de forma isolada e combinada. Foi avaliado o efeito citotóxico, a atividade de fosfatase alcalina e indução de n mé todo de Shapiroódulos de mineralização. Os resultados foram analisados p elo Wilk, e as variáveis foram submetidas à análise de ANOVA seguida pelo teste de Tukey para comparar entre os grupos e/ou concentrações ou teste de Dunnett para comparar entre cada grupo e o controle, com nível de significância de 5%. A viabilidade da cultura de osteoblastos não teve uma redução estatisticamente significativa na presença da maioria dos compostos, exceto crisina a 100µM. Taxifolina, isoquercitrina, rutina, ampelopsina e EGCG foram os compostos que estimularam significativamente a atividade da fosfatase alcalina, juntamente com as combinações taxifolina+isoquercitrina, taxifolina+ampelopsina e taxifolina+rutina a 25/25 µM. Quanto a formação de nódulos de mine ralização, ampelopsina, isoquercitrina, rutina, pinocembrina e miricetina isolados e taxifolina+isoquercitrina, taxifolina+ampelopsina e taxifolina+rutina combinados obtiveram os melhores resultados, variando de acordo com as concentrações. Concluise que a taxifolina, isoquercitrina, rutina e ampelopsina e combinações de taxifolina com esses flavonoides são citocompatíveis e apresentam efeito indutor de mineralização em osteoblastos Saos-2(AU)

Dental bone loss and the formation of periapical lesions arise as a consequence of imbalance of bone homeostasis. Osteoblasts, together with osteoclasts and osteocytes, act in bone formation and resorption. Several markers of bone formation are produced by active osteoblasts and reflect different aspects of osteoblastic differentiation and bone remodeling. Thus, many authors have explored the use of phytotherapics in order to obtain new compounds with therapeutic properties, such as flavonoids, and also stimulate bone neoformation and periapical region repair. The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro the cytotoxicity and inducing effect of flavonoid mineralization on human osteoblastic cells. For this, osteoblastic cells of the Saos-2 lineage were exposed to the following flavonoids: quercetin, myricetin and its derivatives taxifoline, isoquercitrin, rutin, ampelopsin and EGCG, in addition to pinocembrin, chrysin and kaempferol, in an isolated and combined manner. The cytotoxic effect, the activity of alkaline phosphatase and the induction of mineralization nodules were evaluated. The results were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk method, and the variables were submitted to ANOVA analysis followed by the Tukey test to compare between groups and/or concentrations or Dunnett's test to compare between each group and the control, with a level of 5% significance. The viability of the osteoblast culture did not have a statistically significant reduction in the presence of most compounds, except 100 µM chrysin. Taxifoline, isoquercitrin, rutin, ampelopsin and EGCG were the compounds that significantly stimulated the activity of alkaline phosphatase, together with the combinations taxifoline+isoquercitrin, taxifoline+ampelopsin and taxifoline+rutin at 25/25 µM. As for the formation of mineralization nodules, ampelopsin, isoquercitrin, rutin, pinocembrin and myricetin alone and taxifoline+isoquercitrin, taxifoline+ampelopsin and taxifoline+rutin combined obtained the best results, varying according to the concentrations. It is concluded that taxifoline, isoquercitrin, rutin and ampelopsin and combinations of taxifolin with these flavonoids are cytocompatible and have a mineralization-inducing effect on Saos-2 osteoblasts(AU)