Induction of Epithelial cell Toxicity by TEGDMA

Triehtylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) an alkylating molecule, is the major component released from resin composites and various dental adhesives. TEGDMA was shown to be cytotoxic to fibroblasts and cause apoptosis Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of TEGDMA on gingival epithelial cell viability, cell wall integrity, and glutathione reductase activity. Methods: Human gingival epithelial Smulow-Glickman (S-G) cells (1 x 10⁵) were seeded into a 48-well culture plate in DMEM. After 24 hours cells were incubated with fresh medium containing different concentrations of TEGDMA (0.1 to 1.0 mM) for an additional 24 hours. The effect of TEGDMA on epithelial cells was studied by MTT assay, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and glutathione (GSH) assays. All assays were performed three times using triplicate samples. The data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance followed by Student’s t-test, with a level of significance of p <0.05. Results: TEGDMA at a concentration of 0.1 mM caused 15±5 % LDH leakage and found to be increased to 56±7% by 1mM. Cell viability was found to be decreased by 14±4% by 0.1 mM TEGDMA, but increased to 91±8 % with 1.0 mM. Treatment of cells with TEGDMA also reduced the Glutathione reductase activity. 50% reduction in glutathione activity was seen with 0.5mM TEGDMA, compared to the control. Conclusion: The results demonstrate the cytotoxic effect of TEGDMA at the cellular level of gingival epithelial cells. TEGDMA appears to be cytotoxic and also affected the cell membrane integrity as demonstrated by the LDH assay. The results of the study brings awareness to clinical dentists when choosing the resin composites and the damage caused by the monomers of resin composites.

Supported by UT college of Dentistry Alumni Foundation.