Effect of low intensity pulsed ultrasound on expression of TGF-β1 and Smads during dentin injury and repair

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To explore the effect of low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on TGF-β1/Smad 2, 3 signal pathway during the dentin injury and repair. Methods: Among 25 Sprague-Dawley rats, 5 rats served as a blank control group without treatment. The remaining 20 rats received modified caries preparation inbilateral maxillary first molars to establish a model of dentin-pulp injury and repair. The right maxillary first molars served as a LIPUS group, which received LIPUS irradiation (frequency: 1.5 MHz, pulse width: 200 μs, pulse repetition frequency: 1 kHz, spatial averaged temporal averaged intensity: 30 mW/cm2, 20 min/d), and the left maxillary first molars served as a cavity-prepared group, which received fake LIPUS irradiation. The rats were sacrificed at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after LIPUS irradiation. Immunohistochemical staining and Image-pro plus 6.0 were applied to detect the expression and distribution of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) and small mothers against decapentaplegic 2/3(Smad 2 and Smad 3). Results: Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of TGF-β1 and Smad 2, 3 were low innormal pulp, but they were increased in different degree after dentin injury. The result of image analysis showed that the expression of TGF-β1 in the cavity-prepared group gradually increased at the first day and peaked at day 5, and then it returned to normal level at day 14. However, the expression of TGF-β1 in the LIPUS group were significantly higher than that in the cavity-prepared group at day 3 and 5 (both P<0.05). The expressions of Smad 2,3 in both the LIPUS group and the cavity-prepared group were consistently increased all the way, but the expressions in the LIPUS group were higher compared with that in the cavity-prepared group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The TGF-β1/Smad 2, 3 signal pathway can be activated during the dentin injury and repair. LIPUS can up-regulate the expression of TGF-β1 and Smad 2, 3 in the early period, which may take part in the dentin-pulp complex injury and repair process.