Cytotoxic response of two cell lines exposed in vitro to four endodontic sealers

Aim: To investigate the cytotoxicity of four endodontic sealers with different bases – Epiphany (EPH), AH Plus (AHP), Sealer 26 (S26) and Endofill (ENF) – on human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) and mouse macrophages (J774/G8).
Methods: Cells were placed in direct contact with freshly prepared endodontic sealers in polypropylene tubes. The cells were incubated for 24, 48 and 72 h. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTT assay (cell viability) and Griess reagent (NO release).
Results: On the HFF cultures, EPH showed the lowest viability levels of all four sealers at 24 h (p<0.05), but over time (72h), EPH lessened its toxic levels in a similar pattern as the other three materials (p>0.05). The viability of all four sealers on the macrophage cultures showed no statistically significant difference over time, except between EPH and AHP at 72 h (p<0.05). Although uniformity was not detected in macrophage and fibroblast release of NO in response to sealers over time, a trend of increased NO levels for EPH (p<0.05) was observed.
Conclusions: The response pattern varied depending on time and type of cell line used for analysis, although the results indicate a higher cytotoxicity for EPH in short-term tests.