The comparison of antimicrobial effects of herbal and chemical agents on toothpaste: An experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, health-care companies use different antimicrobial agents in toothpastes to reduce oral microorganisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of one Iranian herbal toothpaste in different concentrations compared with the chemical type on oral microorganisms in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, the antimicrobial effect of one Iranian herbal toothpaste in comparison with its chemical type at three concentrations of 1, 1:1, and 1:3 on Streptococcus mutans (SM), Lactobacillus (LB), and Candida albicans (CA), respectively, were studied by agar disc diffusion method. The microorganisms were cultured on 21 plates. Then, four sterile paper discs were placed on each plate and the extracts were placed on them in prepared concentrations and incubated at 37°C ± 0°C for 24 h. The diameter of the inhibition zone around the discs was then measured in millimeters and recorded two-way ANOVA, one-way ANOVA tests, and regarding the difference variances, Tamhane supplementary tests were used at the significance level of P < 0.05. RESULTS: According to the results of this study, the full concentration of Iranian herbal toothpaste on SM, LB, and CA microorganisms had higher antimicrobial effect than the other two concentrations. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Furthermore, all the three toothpastes at full concentration had the same antimicrobial activity (P < 0.05). The antimicrobial effect of herbal toothpaste decreased significantly compared with the chemical toothpaste while the concentration decreased (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: At full concentration, herbal and chemical toothpastes have the same antimicrobial effect, but by reducing the concentration, the antimicrobial effect of herbal toothpaste is reduced compared with the chemical one.

Mesenchymal endometrial stem/stromal cells for hard tissue engineering: a review of in vitro and in vivo evidence.

Hard tissues including teeth, bone and cartilage have inability or poor capacity to self-renew, especially in large defects. Therefore, repair of damages in these tissues represents a huge challenge in the medical field today. Hard tissue engineering commonly utilizes different stem cell sources as a promising strategy for treating bone, cartilages and tooth defects or disorders. Decades ago, researchers successfully isolated and identified endometrial mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (EnSCs) and discovered their multidifferentiation potential. Current studies suggest that EnSCs have significant advantages compared with stem cells derived from other tissues. In this review article, we summarize the current in vitro and in vivo studies that utilize EnSCs or menstrual blood-derived stem cells for differentiation to osteoblasts, odontoblasts or chondroblasts in an effort to realize the potential of these cells in hard tissues regeneration.

In vitro behavior of poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid microspheres containing minocycline, metronidazole, and ciprofloxacin.

AIM: In the present study, we aimed to fabricate poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres containing a mixture of three antibiotics-minocycline, metronidazole, and ciprofloxacin (MMC)-to assess their efficacy and properties. METHODS: MMC were loaded onto PLGA biopolymer microspheres at a 1:1:1 ratio using the double emulsion technique. The morphology of microspheres was observed by a (SEM). The controlled release of antibiotics was evaluated over an 18-day period. The antibacterial efficacy of released antibiotics against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans was evaluated by measuring the diameter of the growth-inhibition zone. The cytotoxicity of MMC-containing microspheres was also evaluated and compared using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. One-way anova was used for the data analysis. RESULTS: SEM micrographs confirmed the spherical shape and smooth surface of microspheres. The adequate release of antibiotics was observed from the microspheres within the desired time period of 16-18 days. The MMC-containing microspheres showed antibacterial activity for 11 days. Moreover, MMC-containing microspheres showed superior cell biocompatibility compared to the free mixture of the three antibiotics (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Microspheres containing triple antibiotics showed good release, antibacterial activity for 11 days, and similar cell biocompatibility compared to the empty microspheres.

Cytotoxicity of two available mineral trioxide aggregate cements and a new formulation on human gingival fibroblasts.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cytotoxicity of nanohybrid mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) in comparison with calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement and MTA-Angelus, using human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine disc-shaped specimens of each material (in 2 set stat: A, set for 24 h; B, set for 30 min; and C, fresh stat) were prepared. HGFs were exposed to tested materials' extracts or control media. Cytotoxicity testing was performed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide assay in two time intervals. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Results were evaluated by one-way ANOVA and t-test. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: CEM cement demonstrated favorable cell viability values when completely set (24 h set MTA = 24 h set CEM) at both time intervals. Interestingly, 24 h after incubation, CEM in Groups B and C demonstrated higher cell viability values than MTA (P < 0.05). However, after 72 h of incubation, these groups of CEM and MTA showed equal cell viability. All samples of nanohybrid MTA had slight cytotoxic effects after 24 h of incubation, and moderate cytotoxic effects after 72 h of incubation. CONCLUSION: Set CEM and set MTA-Angelus exerted similar, favorable effects on cell viability. However, within the limitations of this in vitro study, the results suggest that nanohybrid MTA could not be recommended as a material of choice for cervical root resorption.

Effect of dentine matrix proteins on human endometrial adult stem-like cells: in vitro regeneration of odontoblasts cells.

OBJECTIVE: Human endometrium has enormous regenerative capacity due to the presence of endometrial stem cells. The present study sought to assess the possibility of differentiation of these cells into odontoblast-like cells by in vitro induction. METHODS: Endometrial stem-like cells were obtained using enzymatic digestion of the biopsy samples of the endometrium after hysterectomy and cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) which contained dentine non-collagenous proteins (dNCPs). The results were evaluated using the following assays: analysis of morphology, enzymatic assay for measuring alkaline phosphatase activity, Alizarin Red staining to detect in vitro formation of mineralized nodules, immunofluorescence for detection of dentine sialoprotein (DSP) and dentine-matrix protein (DMP1), and Western blotting for DMP1 expression. RESULTS: Following induction, endometrial stem-like cells demonstrated high alkaline phosphatase activity, and expression of DSP and DMP1 confirmed the odontoblast phenotype. DMP1 level increased in samples treated with dNCPs. CONCLUSIONS: Study results indicated that odontoblastic differentiation of endometrial stem cells can be induced by extracellular matrix proteins (e.g. dNCPs). The capacity of endometrial stem-like cells to differentiate into odontoblast-like cells under specific conditions gives new insights into the mechanism of odontogenesis and highlights the potential of such approaches for further research on dental tissue regeneration.