Tissue Engineering is an emerging field in Histology and Biotechnology which aims to create tissue equivalents from cells obtained from previous cultures and biomaterials which serve as support or scaffolding. These equivalents are important for clinical therapeutics because they could be used in the restitution and repair of damaged organs and tissues.
Among these biomaterials, there is one called 2- hydroxyethyl methacrylate (also known as HEMA), which is used in ophthalmology to create intraocular and extraocular lenses and in dentistry as an essential base for fillings.
For the first time, a doctoral thesis carried out in the department of Histology of the University of Granada has analysed the toxicity of liquid HEMA in human gingival fibroblast (i.e. that which is extracted from gums), using techniques such as quantification of cellular level, quantification of DNA and LDH release to the culture environment and microanalysis.
The author of this research, Gonzalo López González states in his work that it would be advisable to conduct an in-depth study of HEMA and its regular use in fillings in polymerized form “because although it cannot be said to be a toxic biomaterial, the study shows that as HEMA concentration increases, the number of deaths among the fibroblasts rises as well”. For this reason, the researcher recommends reducing as much as possible the concentration of this biomaterial in tooth fillings.
Cultures which are easy to isolate
This researcher from Granada points out that in his work he used human gingival fibroblasts among all the cells present in the buccal cavity for several reasons: “these are cells which are easy to extract, the donors just feel a slight discomfort, and the cells grow very well in cultures and are highly sensitive to toxic materials”.
López González carried out his research in fibroblast cultures obtained from 30 patients, who were submitted to a small biopsy under local anaesthetic in order to isolate the fibroblasts and, after cultivation, the effects of HEMA on them were studied ‘in vitro’.
Although the researcher warns that his work is just “a preliminary study and further research should be carried out, particularly in its polymerized form”, Gonzalo López González points out that HEMA “seems to be very toxic, as several authors have shown”. However, due to its wide use and hydrophilic characteristics it is difficult to withdraw its use in fillings “until another substance with the same advantages is found, something that nowadays has not been achieved”.
Reference:
Gonzalo López González. Department of Histology of the University of Granada.
Phones: 958 243 515 – 958 243 516. E-mail: glogmt@yahoo.es