Aim
To analyse longitudinally the immune‐inflammatory response in teeth of mice that underwent a regenerative protocol with or without the use of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to irrigate the root canal system.
Methodology
First maxillary molars of mice were devitalized using size 10 and 15 files. Teeth were divided into the following groups: Empty – the canals were left empty; Blood Clot (BC) – the canals were filled with a blood clot; and EDTA + Blood – the canals were irrigated with 0.06 mL of 17% EDTA for 1 min and filled with a blood clot. Access cavities were restored with Coltosol®. Animals were sacrificed at 7, 14 or 21 days after the operative procedures, and teeth were collected. RNA was extracted, mRNA expression of the cytokines IGF, NGF, IL‐1α, IL‐10, TGF and VEGF was assessed using real‐time PCR, and the anova Kruskal–Wallis test was used.
Results
IL‐1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in the EDTA + BC group than in the Empty and BC groups at the 7th and 14th days of evaluation (P < 0.05). IL‐10 mRNA expression was similar across the three groups at all time periods. TGF‐β mRNA expression in the EDTA + BC group was significantly higher on the 7th and 21st days than on the 14th (P < 0.05); at day 21, TGF‐β mRNA expression was similar between the BC and EDTA + BC groups but significantly higher than in the Empty group (P < 0.05). IGF mRNA expression was significantly higher in the EDTA + BC group than in the other groups at all time periods. VEGF mRNA expression remained unchanged throughout the experimental period in all groups (P > 0.05). NGF mRNA expression was similar amongst all groups at the 7th and 21st days (P > 0.05). At the 14th day, however, there was a significant increase in NGF mRNA expression in the EDTA + Blood group (P < 0.05) when compared with the expression in the other groups.
Conclusion
EDTA promoted increased expression of factors that have the potential to improve the outcome of regenerative endodontic treatment.