ABSTRACT
Plants may contain beneficial or potentially dangerous substances to humans. This study aimed to prepare and evaluate a new drug delivery system based on a glass-ionomer-Brazilian pepper extract composite, to check for its activity against pathogenic microorganisms of the oral cavity, along with its in vitro biocompatibility. The ethanolic Brazilian pepper extract (BPE), the glass-ionomer cement (GIC) and the composite GIC-BPE were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and thermal analysis. The BPE compounds were identified by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. The release profile of flavonoids and the mechanical properties of the GIC-BPE composite were assessed. The flavonoids were released through a linear mechanism governing the diffusion for the first 48 h, as evidenced by the Mt/M∞ relatively to [Formula: see text], at a diffusion coefficient of 1.406 × 10-6 cm2 s-1. The ATR-FTIR analysis indicated that a chemical bond between the GIC and BPE components may have occurred, but the compressive strength of GIC-BPE does not differ significantly from that of this glass-ionomer. The GIC-BPE sample revealed an ample bacterial activity at non-cytotoxic concentrations for the human fibroblast MRC-5 cells. These results suggest that the prepared composite may represent an alternative agent for endodontic treatment.
Subject(s)
Anacardiaceae/chemistry , Glass Ionomer Cements/chemical synthesis , Mouth/drug effects , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Biocompatible Materials/chemistry , Biocompatible Materials/pharmacology , Brazil , Compressive Strength , Fruit/chemistry , Glass Ionomer Cements/chemistry , Glass Ionomer Cements/pharmacology , Humans , Materials Testing , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Mouth/chemistry , Mouth/microbiology , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform InfraredABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the cytotoxicity and degree of conversion (DC) of self-etch resin cements with or without photopolymerization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three self-etching resin cements with or without photopolymerization were evaluated. Six test groups and one control group represented by a standardized L929-fibroblast cell culture were formed. The DC was measured by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and was correlated with cell culture survival. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The analysis of variance and Bonferroni-Holm tests were applied (P < 0.05). RESULTS: The results show that, the cytotoxicity of self-etching resin cements is directly related to the DC. With the exception of Unicem, the other cements show some level of cytotoxicity, even with photopolymerization. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that photopolymerization of dual cure self-etching resin cements decrease toxic effects on cell culture. Adequate photopolymerization should be considered during cementation when using dual polymerization self-etching resin cements.
