Morphological analysis of the enamel organ in rats treated with fluoxetine.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies have evaluated the presence of serotonin in the dental epithelia and mesenchyme during odontogenesis, suggesting its participation in tooth development.


METHODS
Here, we used fluoxetine, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, at a dose of 10 mg/kg, administered for 20 days during pregnancy in 12 Wistar rats to examine the influence of this drug on the development of the enamel organ of the upper first molars of rat fetuses at 17 days of intra-uterine life (i.u.l.), and at one, five and ten days postpartum. The pregnant rats were anesthetized with xylazine at 10 mg/kg and ketamine at 25 mg/kg. The fetuses were removed and beheaded; their jaws were removed, and the upper jaws were exposed. The tissues were fixed in Bouin's fixative, decalcified in 5% nitric acid for 4 - 12 h, conventionally processed for microscopy, and embedded in paraffin. Serial sections of approximately 5 mum were obtained and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, as well as periodic acid-Schiff.


CONCLUSIONS
Morphological analysis showed no structural changes in the experimental group compared to the controls, suggesting that, at the dose used, fluoxetine does not interfere with serotonin-mediated development of the enamel organ or the process of amelogenesis.
Silva
Igor Henrique Morais
IH
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Clínica e Odontologia Preventiva - Recife/PE, Brazil.
Leão
Jair Carneiro
JC
Evêncio
Liriane Baratella
LB
Porter
Stephen Ross
SR
Castro
Raul Manhães de
RM
D000566:Amelogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D004658:Enamel Organ / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D023421:Models, Animal; D011247:Pregnancy; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D005473:Fluoxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors