Assessment of genotoxic effect of maleic acid and EDTA: a comparative in vitro experimental study.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to evaluate and compare the genotoxic and apoptotic effect of aqueous solutions of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) with that of maleic acid (MA) using Chinese hamster lung fibroblast (V79) cells growing in vitro.


METHODS
Exponentially growing V79 cells were treated with various concentrations of EDTA or MA alone for 30 min, and genotoxic effect was analyzed by micronucleus as well as comet assays and the type of cell death by apoptotic cell measurements using microscopic and flow cytometric methods. For all the experiments, H2O2 was used as a positive control.


RESULTS
Treatment of V79 cells with H2O2 resulted in significantly (P < 0.001) increased micronuclei and levels of DNA damage, whereas, EDTA/MA alone treated cells did not show significant increase of MN frequencies and comet parameters even at their higher concentrations when compared with that of untreated control. V79 cells treated with EDTA/MA for 30 min showed a nonsignificant increase in the percentage of apoptotic and necrotic cells at their lower concentrations (0.025 and 0.05 % for EDTA and MA, respectively). However, at higher concentrations, i.e., >IC50 (0.1 and 0.5 %) for EDTA and MA resulted in increased number of apoptotic and necrotic cells when compared with the untreated group.


CONCLUSIONS
This study clearly demonstrates that MA and EDTA are not potentially genotoxic agents and MA induced lesser apoptotic/necrotic death than that of EDTA at their clinically relevant doses.


CONCLUSIONS
MA may have a better clinical acceptability with comparable smear layer removal ability. Hence, the results presented here might be an additional supporting evidence for the use of MA in endodontic practice.
Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Nidambur Vasudev
NV
Ballal
Bhuvanagiri Nageshwar
BN
Rao
Kundabala
K
Mala
Kadengodlu Seetharama
KS
Bhat
Bola Sadashiva Satish
BS
Rao
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002460:Cell Line; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D020552:Comet Assay; D003412:Cricetulus; D004249:DNA Damage; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D008298:Maleates / Q000633:toxicity*; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D002614:Chelating Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008298:Maleates; C030272:maleic acid; D004492:Edetic Acid