Human dental pulp cell responses to new calcium silicate-based endodontic materials

AIM: To evaluate human dental pulp cell responses to radiopaque dicalcium silicate cement and white-coloured mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA). METHODOLOGY: Flow cytometry was employed to quantify the phase percentage of pulp cell cycle. Alamar Blue was used for real-time and repeated monitoring of cell proliferation. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine gene expression in pulp cells cultured on the cements. RESULTS: The cells cultured on the radiopaque dicalcium silicate cement had similar S and G2 phases in the cell cycle and proliferation to WMTA at all culture times. In addition, the two materials presented the same evolution with similar values in interleukin-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and bone sialoprotein gene expression at all culture times. CONCLUSIONS: The dental pulp cell responses to radiopaque dicalcium silicate cement were similar to those reported for WMTA in terms of cell cycle, proliferation, immunocompatibility and osteogenic differentiation.