Análise morfológica e imunoistoquímica do TGF-BETA e TNF-ALFA em tecido subcutâneo de ratos pós-implante de cimentos ionoméricos modificados com própolis amarela

Abstract

Glass ionomer cements are the materials of choice for bonding metal bands to teeth in orthodontics, but they can provide surfaces for microbial colonization, promoting risks to teeth and periodontal tissues. Studies with modified ionomeric cements with yellow propolis are scarce, especially when it comes to biocompatibility. In this context, it is important to analyze cytokines related to inflammation to better understand the inflammatory activity that these modified cements can induce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility of Meron® (M) and Ketac Cem® (KC) ionomeric cements modified by the addition of ethanolic extract of yellow propolis (EEYP) in different concentrations, through morphological analysis of the tissues and immunohistochemical study of the cytokines TGF-β and TNF-α. This in vivo study used 96 male Wistar rats, divided into six groups with EEYP addition (M10, M25, M50, KC10, KC25, and KC50) and two control groups without EEYP (MC and KCC). Subcutaneous tissues containing the materials were biopsied in 7, 15, and 30 days. For the morphological analysis, the thickness of the granulation reaction (mm) was measured. Regarding the immunohistochemical study, a quantitative analysis of the cytoplasmic labeling of TNF-α and TGF-β antibodies in inflammatory cells was performed. The Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis, with a p-value <0.05. It was observed that at 7 and 15 days, there was a significant difference in the thickness of the granulation reaction of the M50 and KC50 groups, which exhibited the smallest thicknesses (p<0.05). The immunohistochemistry of TNF-α showed that at 7 and 30 days there was a significant difference, with greater immunoexpression in the control groups (KCC and MC) compared to the test groups added with different concentrations of EEYP (p=0.048). Regarding TGF-β, at 7 days, the groups were predominantly immunonegative. At 15 days, there was a significant difference in immunoexpression between the M10 and KC10 groups, with KC10 exhibiting greater immunoexpression, with positivity index (PI) 3.13 (p=0.048). At 30 days, the K50 group (IP=3.78) exhibited the highest positivity rate for TGF-β, although without a significant difference. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the groups of ionomeric cements with the addition of yellow propolis in the highest concentrations (KC50 and M50) exhibit better biocompatibility, initially demonstrating lower inflammatory activity and immunoexpression of TNF-α, as well as greater immunoexpression of TGF-β in the tissue repair phase.