Biochemical Mapping of the Inflamed Human Dental Pulp

Konstantina Kritikou,Daniela Miricescu,Maria Greabu,Marina Imre,Tudor-Claudiu Spinu,Mihaela Tanase,Alexandra Ripszky Totan,Arina Vinereanu,Radu Ilinca,Iulia-Ioana Stanescu-Spinu

doi:10.3390/app112110395

Konstantina Kritikou, Daniela Miricescu + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110395

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Abstract

Dental pulp inflammation, caused by the evolution of caries, involves numerous interrelated activities at a cellular and molecular level. Cytokines, proteases, growth factors, and other biomarkers of the host response may take part in dental pulp’s immune defense. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the levels of inflammation, oxidative stress, and extracellular matrix degradation biomarkers in healthy and symptomatic irreversibly inflamed dental pulp samples from children and adolescents. Twenty-three dental pulp samples were collected from permanent teeth with irreversible inflammation, while nineteen healthy dental pulp samples were obtained from teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons. Pulp lysates were obtained and the levels of IL-2, IL-17, TNF-α, SOD3, TGF-β1, catalase, osteocalcin, MMP-7, and MMP-9 were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. We detected significantly higher levels (p < 0.001) of IL-2, IL-17, TNF-α, SOD3, osteocalcin, and TGF-β1 in pulp samples with irreversible inflammation than in controls. Catalase and MMP-7 showed higher levels in the experimental group, while MMP-9 showed slightly increased levels in the control group, but none of these differences were statistically significant (p = 0.064/p = 0.061/p = 0.625). Inflamed dental pulp samples showed an up-regulation of IL-2, IL-17, TNF-α, SOD3, osteocalcin, and TGF-β1. These biomarkers appear to have a powerful role in the inflammation process of human dental pulp.

Highlights

500 million children suffer from tooth decay in their primary dentition, while Global Burden of Disease (2017) reports that untreated tooth decay in permanent teeth is the most common health condition [1]
IL-2, IL-17, TNF-α, SOD3, osteocalcin, and TGF-β1 were significantly increased in irreversibly inflamed dental pulp samples compared to the controls (p < 0.001) (Table 1; Figures 1–6)
Regarding the Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) levels, MMP-7 showed higher levels in the experimental group compared to the control group (p = 0.061), while MMP-9 levels were increased in healthy pulp samples (p = 0.625)

Summary

Introduction

500 million children suffer from tooth decay in their primary dentition, while Global Burden of Disease (2017) reports that untreated tooth decay in permanent teeth is the most common health condition [1]. Intravascular pressure and capillary blood flow increases, accompanied by leukocyte extravasation and an accumulation of serum proteins. These vascular alterations are followed by the recruitment of immune cells, which tend to eliminate the pathogens and their metabolites. If microbial irritation continues, exceeding the pulp’s immune capacity, local hypoxia is installed by compression of the venules, metabolic waste products and CO2 increase, and further vasodilatation occurs. All of these lead to the spreading of inflammation. If the edema from inflammation is not resolved by removing the insult, tooth pain is the first and main sign of pulp pathology [3]

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