Morphological Analysis of the Enamel Organ in Rats Treated with Fluoxetine

Abstract

PURPOSE:Previous studies have evaluated the presence of serotonin in the dental epithelia and mesenchyme during odontogenesis, suggesting its participation in tooth development.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Here, we used fluoxetine, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, at a dose of 10 mg/kg, administered for 20 days during pregnancy in 12 Wistar rats to examine the influence of this drug on the development of the enamel organ of the upper first molars of rat fetuses at 17 days of intra-uterine life (i.u.l.), and at one, five and ten days postpartum. The pregnant rats were anesthetized with xylazine at 10 mg/kg and ketamine at 25 mg/kg. The fetuses were removed and beheaded; their jaws were removed, and the upper jaws were exposed. The tissues were fixed in Bouin’s fixative, decalcified in 5% nitric acid for 4 – 12 h, conventionally processed for microscopy, and embedded in paraffin. Serial sections of approximately 5 μm were obtained and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, as well as periodic acid-Schiff.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Morphological analysis showed no structural changes in the experimental group compared to the controls, suggesting that, at the dose used, fluoxetine does not interfere with serotonin-mediated development of the enamel organ or the process of amelogenesis.

Fluoxetine effects on periodontogenesis: histomorphometrical and immunohistochemical analyses in rats

“…Studies previously conducted by our research group did not reveal alterations in the formation and morphology of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) 7 and tooth enamel of rat pups treated with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) during pregnancy 29 . Nevertheless, the administration of 20 mg/kg fluoxetine during rat pregnancy and lactation modified the jawbone mass of the pups 8 .…”

Effects of treatment with fluoxetine on mandibular development: A morphological study in rats

“…Previous studies have been conducted using the dosage of 10 mg/kg via the subcutaneous route, to investigate possible alterations in the temporomandibular joint and tooth enamel, and no evidence was found (Cavalcanti et al, 2009;Silva et al, 2010). Therefore, in the present study, a dose of 20 mg/kg via the oral route was used.…”

Histological and histometric aspects of radicular dentinogenesis in upper first molars of fluoxetine treated rats

“…Other oral structures were also previously analyzed regarding the effect of using fluoxetine. Cavalcanti et al (2009) analyzed the influence of fluoxetine on the temporomandibular joint of rats and Silva et al (2010) analyzed the influence of fluoxetine on the amelogenesis of rats, both found no changes in the development of these studied craniofacial regions. Battaglino et al (2007), in their study, administered systemic fluoxetine daily for 6 weeks in mice to find out the action of this drug on bone mass.…”