title: Morphological analysis of the enamel organ in rats treated with fluoxetine.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Clínica e Odontologia Preventiva - Recife/PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Igor Henrique Morais
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Jair Carneiro
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Leão
authors.forename: Liriane Baratella
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Evêncio
authors.forename: Stephen Ross
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: Raul Manhães de
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Castro
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors