Diltiazem did not induce gingival overgrowth in rats: a clinical, histological and histometric analysis

Fernanda De Oliveira Bello Corrêa,Gabriela Giro,Silvana Regina Perez Orrico,Luis Carlos Spolidorio,Daniela Gonçalves

doi:10.1590/s1806-83242005000300002

Fernanda De Oliveira Bello Corrêa, Gabriela Giro + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s1806-83242005000300002

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Abstract

The administration of calcium channel blockers has been associated with gingival overgrowth. However, there are few studies in humans or animals that evaluated the effect of diltiazem on gingival tissues. The present study assessed the influence of diltiazem, at different dosages and treatment duration, on gingival tissues of rats, using clinical, histological and histometric analyses. Eighty young male rats were separated into eight groups according to the dosage and duration of treatment. Rats were treated for 20 or 40 days with a daily subcutaneous injection of 5, 20 or 50 mg/kg of body weight of diltiazem. The results confirmed that diltiazem did not induce gingival overgrowth in rats. For all animals, the evaluation did not show gingival alterations regardless of the dosages and periods of treatment. The histometric analysis showed no significant change in the area of epithelium and connective tissues, although after 40 days of treatment a decrease in the area of connective tissue was observed, without statistically significant difference from control groups. Within the limits of this study, we suggest that diltiazem did not induce gingival overgrowth.

Highlights

It is well known that drugs can cause gingival overgrowth in humans[3,4,5,6,10,14] and experimental animals[7,9,12,13,22,24,28]
Gingival overgrowth associated with nifedipine was first reported in the early 1980s17 and was later associated with verapamil[21] and, in rare cases, with amlodipine[8,15] and felodipine[18,19]
The present study evaluated the effect of various dosages of diltiazem and its different administration periods on the induction or not of gingival overgrowth in rats

Summary

Introduction

It is well known that drugs (e.g. cyclosporin and calcium channel blockers) can cause gingival overgrowth in humans[3,4,5,6,10,14] and experimental animals[7,9,12,13,22,24,28]. Antihypertensive drugs, are extensively used in elderly patients who have angina or peripheral vascular disease. Diltiazem inhibits the penetration of calcium ions into the smooth vascular and cardiac muscle cells, promoting a decrease of the myocardial contraction force[24]. Diltiazem did not induce gingival overgrowth in rats. Braz Oral Res 2005;19(3):[163-8]

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